Mancini apologizes on return to Italy helm after World Cup failure

Roberto Mancini offered a heartfelt apology in his first public remarks Wednesday after returning as Italy coach, admitting he regretted walking away from the national team three years ago for a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. "I'm very sorry," Mancini said. "It was like losing the woman of your life. It means you did something that should never have been done. I'm sorry, truly sorry, for everything that happened over these last three years. Now I'll do everything I can to bring the national team back where it belongs." Italy are in turmoil after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time. The latest setback, a playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in April, led to the resignations of federation president Gabriele Gravina and coach Gennaro Gattuso. The 61-year-old guided Italy to the European Championship title in 2021 before unexpectedly resigning in August 2023. Just two weeks later, he accepted a lucrative contract to become Saudi Arabia's national team coach, a decision he now says he deeply regrets. "It was completely my fault," Mancini said, referring to a lack of communication with Gravina. Mancini's first match back in charge will be against Belgium in the Nations League on Sept. 25 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. He was asked what kind of reception he expected from fans. "I realize some people will be against me," Mancini said. "I'm hoping the squad plays well enough that maybe people will forgive me." Mancini was a fourth-choice option after Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola turned down the job, and Andrea Pirlo was dropped as a candidate amid political concerns over a sponsorship deal with a Russian betting firm. Italy will also face France and Türkiye in their Nations League group. Mancini can rely on players such as Pio Esposito, Moise Kean and Nicolò Zaniolo in attack; Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Barella in midfield; Riccardo Calafiori and Marco Palestra at fullback; and Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. Center back has been an issue because of injuries to Alessandro Bastoni and Francesco Acerbi. "I don't think we're in such a bad state. Between center forwards and wingers, we have a lot of options," Mancini said. "And I'm talking about young players who can still improve. I gave Kean his debut, so I know him very well." Mancini also called up Zaniolo to Italy's national team before he had made his Serie A debut. Former Leicester and Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was hired as the federation's technical director. Ranieri said making football schools less expensive and more appealing for young Italians, who are gravitating toward other sports, such as tennis, inspired by top-ranked Jannik Sinner, would be a priority. "We need to bring kids back to football," Ranieri said. "Our national youth teams are performing well. We need to work on enabling players on the under-21 team to make the jump to the first team and making sure that the Italy coach has players to choose from." Ranieri also suggested moving away from Italy's historic devotion to tactics. "We're great tactically, others are good technically. Abroad, there's not as much attention paid to tactical aspects as there is here," Ranieri said. "We need to go back to developing individual skills." Between 2018 and 2021, Mancini led Italy on a world-record 37-match unbeaten run. However, Italy were beaten 1-0 at home by then-67th-ranked North Macedonia in a World Cup semifinal playoff in 2022, meaning the Azzurri again missed the tournament. Mancini nevertheless remained in charge before surprisingly resigning in August 2023. He left Saudi Arabia in 2024 and most recently coached Al-Sadd in Qatar before departing last month. Mancini also previously guided Inter Milan and Manchester City to league titles.