Andrea Abodi, Italy’s Minister of Sport, weighed in on Roberto Mancini’s decision to resign from the Italian national team, highlighting how ‘plans had just been made’.
The 58-year-old coach ignited the world of Italian football on Sunday when news broke of his unexpected resignation from his post with the Azzurri, seemingly plunging the national team into chaos just 10 months ahead of Euro 2024.
Luciano Spalletti and Antonio Conte are now the favourites to take on the role and an appointment is expected in the coming weeks. The Azzurri’s next match is on September 9 when they face North Macedonia in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
Speaking to Il Giornale via TMW, Abodi first discussed why Mancini resigned from his post with the Azzurri.
“Resignation via PEC (certified email, ed.) is an important and delicate gesture. Choices must be respected, but they must be contextualised, because otherwise everything is relative. It’s not my role to say why Mancini is no longer Italy’s coach.”
He was asked how he found out about the resignation.
“Like you, with notifications on my mobile phone. Besides, nowhere is it written that the Minister of Sport must be informed in advance of such an event.”
Finally, Abodi spoke about whether or not the resignation was a good move for the Italian national team.
“Time will tell whether it’s good or bad. Everything is relative, it depends on the outcome of history. Plans had just been made, Mancini had extended his influence over all the national teams, evidently there were plans.
“The fact that a week later everything goes wrong cannot be normal. Now Conte or Spalletti? If it’s a joke, I’ll answer seriously, who can say now which is the better choice?”