Gab Marcotti explains why the Serie A title-winning coach takes a sabbatical at the end of the season after coaching Napoli. (1:28)
Luciano Spalletti will be the new coach of the Italian national team, the Italian federation announced on Friday, replacing Roberto Mancini, who resigned on August 13.
Spalletti, 64, led Napoli last season to his first Serie A name in 33 years, capping a long club coaching career that included stints at Roma, Inter Milan and a five-year spell with Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg.
He left his job at Napoli in May after taking a sabbatical and was replaced by Rudi Garcia.
The Italian Football Federation announced that Spalletti will take over from September 1.
“The national team is a wonderful coach and I am very pleased that he has accepted,” federation president Gabriele Gravina said.
“His enthusiasm and experience will be equal to the demanding situations that await Italy in the coming months. “
A source told Reuters Spalletti’s contract would last until the 2026 World Cup. The staff member does not specify the duration of his or her contract.
Spalletti will be the ninth coach of the national team this century.
Their first match will be Italy’s Euro 2024 qualifier in North Macedonia on September 9, and the Azzurri host Ukraine three days later.
Italy ranks third in Group C with 3 problems in two matches, Ukraine with six problems in 3 matches. England leads the organization with 12 problems after 4 matches.
Upon leaving Napoli, Spalletti said he would take a year off and added that he might be willing to coach a national team after his year off.
Mancini’s resignation an opportunity sooner than expected.
However, when Spalletti left Napoli, he signed a document that included a 3 million euro ($3. 3 million) clause that he had to pay if he returned to work within a year of his contract.
The federation’s lawyers argue that this is a kind of non-compete clause and that it applies to Napoli’s rival clubs. But Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis remained the same company he also implemented for the national team.
“I asked for promises that [Spalletti] would respect this sabbatical, adding a penalty for not dedicating himself,” De Laurentiis said in a recent statement. “[The FIGC] will not be deterred by having to pay one million euros a year on behalf of the coach to release him from his contractual obligations [a commitment not only to Napoli, but also to the club’s millions of supporters]. Everything is incoherent.
“It is true that 3 million euros is not much for Napoli and much less for me, but the question in this case is not a question of ‘almighty dollar’, but a question of principle. “
Information from The Associated Press used in this report.