Italy legend and former team manager Gigi Riva would be ‘very annoyed’ if Roberto Mancini accepted the Saudi Arabia job, but ex-FIGC President Antonio Matarrese was ‘not surprised’ by the sudden resignation.
The CT shocked everyone when handing in his resignation over the weekend, leaving the Azzurri without a coach going into the EURO 2024 qualifiers that take place in just over three weeks.
“I worked with Roberto in the Nazionale, an exceptional player and above all a lovely guy. I am disappointed to hear everything that is being said about him,” legend Riva told Notizie.com.
There are now strong reports that Mancini will accept a new role as coach of the Saudi national team at a huge salary.
“That would make me very annoyed. Considering the way I know him, I think Roberto has other reasons to give his resignation in this way. If he did go to Saudi Arabia, I would be very disappointed.”
There had been some tension behind the scenes after the failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and disappointing performances in the Nations League, as well as the opening EURO 2024 qualifying defeat to England.
This is also why former FIGC President Matarrese saw this potential development coming.
“I was not surprised by his decision. There had been problems for a while, it was evident that he and the FIGC weren’t on the same page for a while. They should’ve talked earlier and perhaps avoided this unfortunate incident,” Matarrese told La Presse news agency.
“The situation was not dealt with well at all.”
The hunt is now on for a replacement and Luciano Spalletti is the first choice, although the FIGC is refusing to pay the €3m release clause in his contract with Napoli.
Spalletti left the club after winning the Scudetto and was allowed to do so on condition that he take a Sabbatical.
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