FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Gianluigi Buffon threatened to quit the Italian national team over the possibility of Roberto Mancini returning as coach.
Former Italy and Manchester City coach Mancini emerged as a candidate to take over the coaching job following the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti and the rejections of Claudio Ranieri and Stefano Pioli.
Mancini even publicly declared his desire to return to the job, but the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) ultimately turned to Gennaro Gattuso, who was officially announced as the new coach on Sunday.
The decision to choose Gattuso over Mancini was not unanimous, according to newspaper La Sicilia, which claims that the former Inter coach's candidacy was strongly supported by part of the group tasked with deciding who would take the job.
Several prominent figures expressed their desire to see Mancini return, believing he is the only person capable of restoring the team's discipline and spirit after a difficult few months.
However, this prompted an angry reaction from former legendary goalkeeper Buffon, who is the head of the national team delegation, after he threatened to resign in an attempt to veto Mancini. The FIGC chose to back him.
The appointment of former Italy midfielder Gattuso has caused confusion in the Italian press, with many questioning whether he is the right man for the job. He was in charge of Croatian side Hajduk Split before his contract was terminated this month.
Italy will play their first match under the new coach on September 5 when they host Estonia in a World Cup qualifier. Three days later, they face Israel.
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