JAKARTA - The Italian National Team (Timnas) still does not have a coach to date. So far, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has several candidates, but none of them have been successful.
The difficulty of the FIGC in recruiting a coach for the Azzurri is inseparable from the drama that surrounds the body of the federation. Initially, they were eager to bring in Pep Guardiola.
However, the former Manchester City manager turned down the offer because he wanted to take a year off from football.
In fact, FIGC President Giovanni Malago said that his party was willing to make financial sacrifices to bring in Guardiola, although the news was denied by FIGC Technical Director Paolo Maldini.
Maldini denied reports that Guardiola had asked for an annual salary of 20 million euros to lead Italy, which was reportedly double that offered by the FIGC.
"For Pep, the financial aspect is not a factor at all," said Maldini.
ESPN revealed last week that Italy was one of four countries that had approached Guardiola since he left Manchester City at the end of last season. Besides Italy, so far only the Netherlands and England have been linked to Guardiola.
However, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Guardiola has turned down the offer as he wants to prioritise his personal life after spending 10 years at the top with Manchester City.
It can be said, it was lucky that Guardiola rejected it early. The reason is, his name was immediately put on the black list of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) which oversees the FIGC.
CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio does not want foreign coaches to lead the Italian national team.
"Most of our Serie A managers are Italian. The Italian national team manager has to work with them. They are talented, professional, and are the product of our tradition. Why exclude them?" Buonfiglio told Corriere della Sera.
The Azzurri have only had one foreign coach since their debut 116 years ago, when Argentina's Helenio Herrera took charge alongside Italy's Fercuccio Valcareggi between 1966 and 1967.
Other Candidates Full Drama
After the failure to bring in Guardiola, Italy turned to another name who is a local coach, Carlo Ancelotti. The name of the coach who is now leading the Brazilian national team was first expressed by Paolo Maldini who was just appointed as Technical Director last week.
The Azzurri legend said that the FIGC had also contacted Carlo Ancelotti. Unfortunately, Ancelotti has a contract with Brazil until 2030 and will remain in his position even though he was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in the last 16 by Norway. It is not yet clear how the FIGC will make further approaches to hijack the former Real Madrid manager.
"Before talking to Pep, I also spoke to Carlo Ancelotti. It feels right for us to start with those we consider to be the best in the world."
"We need to check their availability in general first and then the rest," said Maldini, who played with Ancelotti and then coached from 2001 to 2009 at AC Milan.
However, Maldini, who was tasked with finding the coach for the Italian national team, did not give up. He turned his gaze to Andrea Pirlo.
This is where the internal drama begins. Maldini really wanted Pirlo to coach Italy, but Malago just flatly refused.
Summarizing Football Italia and Sky Sports Italia, Maldini actually resigned from his position because Pirlo failed to become the Azzurri coach on Monday, July 27, 2026, local time.
Not only Maldini, Leonardo Araujo also resigned as Technical Advisor even though the two of them were only appointed on July 11, 2026.
Pirlo failed to get Malago's blessing because he became an ambassador for a Russian gambling company, Fonbet.
However, Pirlo is also reluctant to coach Italy. He confirmed his resignation as a candidate in an Instagram post on Monday, July 27, 2021, saying that he heard last night that he was no longer a candidate for the position of coach for the Italian National Team.
In addition to Malago, several Italian politicians have voiced concerns about Pirlo's contract as a Fonbet ambassador, saying the Azzurri coach should not have a conflicting view on Italy's support for Ukraine in the war with Russia.
However, Pirlo was quick to clarify the notion by saying Fonbet's deal was related to his work in the United Arab Emirates solely for commercial and sporting purposes.
"To associate political meaning with the collaboration means associating a belief with me that I have never expressed and does not belong to me."
"My love for Italy does not depend on the job. It is part of my history, my identity, and will remain forever," Pirlo said.
Pirlo, who is ready to leave his current job as Dubai United coach, is an unpopular choice after his unsuccessful coaching spells at Juventus and Sampdoria - although he was one of the standout players when Italy last won the World Cup in 2006.
However, Pirlo is preferred by Maldini to the likes of Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte as he is seen as more willing to adapt to new policies and promote young players in an attacking-oriented system.
So, not only the failure to recruit Pirlo, but also the names of Mancini and Conte who are now strong as candidates for the Italian national team coach that made Maldini choose to resign from his position.
Mancini coached Italy to the 2021 Euro title, then failed to take the Azzurri to the World Cup the following year before moving to coach the Saudi Arabia national team. He left Saudi Arabia in 2024 and most recently coached Al Sadd in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Conte coached Italy to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 and most recently coached Napoli.
Another option could be former Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi, who is currently coaching in the Saudi Pro League.
Whoever is hired will be Italy's fourth coach in four years.
When Luciano Spalletti was sacked after Italy lost their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier against Norway last year, Claudio Ranieri turned down the offer to replace him and the much less experienced Gattuso was hired instead.
The Azzurri have been without a coach since Gennaro Gattuso resigned after the defeat in the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff last April against Bosnia-Herzegovina which made Italy fail to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.
Italy will next play in September and October 2026, when they will face Belgium, Turkey, and France in the UEFA Nations League.
Italy needs a major overhaul and Giovanni Malago, elected FIGC president on June 22 2026, is talking about projects to rebuild the Azzurri.
"The target we have set is six years, until Euro 2032, where at that time we have to close this glaring gap that is clearly visible to everyone. We need to rebuild the road from the bottom," he said.
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