• Summary

• Mancini replaces Gattuso as Italy coach
• Maldini and Leonardo quit after Pirlo candidacy was blocked
• Ranieri agrees to become technical director

Former ​Italy manager Roberto Mancini will return for a second spell as national ‌team coach, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Giovanni Malago said on Tuesday, while Claudio Ranieri will take over as technical director.

Mancini will replace Gennaro Gattuso, who left the post in April following a ​World Cup qualifying defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina, the third time in a ​row the four-times world champions had failed to reach the global ⁠showpiece event.

Malago announced the appointment during a Federal Council meeting.

“Mancini is the coach,” he ​said before confirming the decision at a press conference.

“I believed that the best person ​to become head coach was Roberto Mancini,” Malago told reporters.

The 61-year-old Mancini guided Italy to the European Championship title in 2021.

He led Italy in 58 matches during his first spell and at club ​level has managed Inter Milan, Fiorentina and Manchester City, where he spent three ​years and guided them to their first Premier League title in 2011-12.

Former FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini ‌and ⁠adviser Leonardo resigned from their roles on Monday after their primary candidate for the Italy coach’s position, Andrea Pirlo, had his appointment blocked due to his ties to a Russian betting firm.

Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who was the FIGC’s first choice to take ​charge of the national ​team, turned down ⁠the job this month.

Ranieri will take up the role of FIGC technical director, replacing Maldini.

The 74-year-old coach, who famously led Leicester City ​to a shock English Premier League title in 2016, will ​oversee technical ⁠operations and elite football development across Italy’s national team structures.

“I needed someone with whom I could share the decision on the coach, because without that shared view my reasoning would ⁠have ​carried little weight,” Malago said.

“So consequently, today we have ​a new coach and a new technical director for Italy.”

-Reuters

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Europe’s swift post-World Cup decisions should be a wake-up call for Nigerian football

By Paul Lucky Okoku, Atlanta, US.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup may only just have passed into history, but for some serious football nations, the journey to 2030 has already begun.

Germany and Belgium are wasting no time. Within days of their World Cup campaigns ending, both countries moved swiftly to reshape their national teams, making important coaching decisions with the next major tournaments,  and ultimately the 2030 FIFA World Cup, firmly in view.

Germany have handed the rebuilding job to former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp on a four-year deal taking him through to the 2030 World Cup.

Klopp is due to formally begin work on August 15, with the UEFA Nations League and EURO 2028 providing important stages in a longer rebuilding process towards 2030.

He will be supported by familiar associates Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders, alongside former Germany international Sven Bender.

It is not just an appointment of a celebrated coach; it is a declaration that Germany recognises the need to rebuild now rather than wait for another qualification campaign to arrive.

Belgium have taken a similarly decisive step, appointing former Netherlands international Mark van Bommel on a two-year contract through EURO 2028.

Italy, too, are reportedly considering their next direction, with Andrea Pirlo among the names linked with succeeding Luciano Spalletti after Pep Guardiola reportedly declined the opportunity.

Different countries, different circumstances, but one unmistakable message: the planning for tomorrow has already started today.

And that should provide a serious wake-up call for Nigeria. The salient question is: What is Nigeria’s plan for 2030?

The Super Eagles were absent from the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, meaning Nigeria have gone eight years without appearing at football’s biggest tournament by the time qualification for 2030 reaches its decisive stages, it will be a calamity if the count reaches 12 years of absence.

That makes the next cycle too important to be approached with the traditional fire-brigade mentality.

Nigeria should already be asking the difficult questions.

What is the technical roadmap for the Super Eagles between now and 2030? Who is responsible for implementing it? What style of football does Nigeria want its national teams to play?

Where is the pathway connecting the Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles, Olympic team and Super Eagles?

What structures are being established for scouting Nigerian players at home and across the diaspora? How much investment is going into sports science, data analysis, medical support and player welfare?

And perhaps most importantly, what lessons have actually been learnt from Nigeria’s failure to reach the 2026 World Cup?

These questions cannot wait until the 2030 qualifiers are approaching. Take note, World Cups are built, not improvised.

Germany’s response demonstrates an important principle of international football: World Cup success is rarely manufactured during qualification.

It is built over years.

The coach needs time to identify his core players, introduce younger talent, establish a tactical identity and create competition for places.

The football federation needs an equally clear structure behind him — scouting, analytics, medical support, youth development and a coherent international programme.

Belgium’s decision also reflects that urgency. EURO 2028 is not being treated simply as another tournament. It can become part of the construction process towards 2030.

Nigeria should be thinking along similar lines.

Every Africa Cup of Nations campaign, international window, youth tournament and friendly between now and 2030 should form part of a broader plan rather than exist as an isolated event.

Too often, Nigerian football planning becomes most intense when qualification mathematics start becoming uncomfortable.

Coaches are changed. Committees are established. Players are hurriedly invited. Friendly matches are arranged. Expectations suddenly rise.

Then the country begins calculating permutations.

That cycle has to end.

The lesson from Germany and Belgium is not necessarily that Nigeria must copy their choices or appoint a famous European coach.

The lesson is decisiveness and long-term planning.

Germany know who they want to lead their rebuilding project and how long they are giving him.

Belgium have also taken their decision with EURO 2028 already incorporated into their thinking.

Nigeria similarly needs clarity about where its football should be in 2028, 2029 and ultimately 2030.

Four years may appear a long time. In international football, it is not.

Players who will become central figures in Nigeria’s 2030 World Cup ambitions may currently be playing for the Flying Eagles, academy teams or relatively obscure clubs at home and abroad.

Finding them, developing them and integrating them into a functioning national-team system requires planning that should begin now.

Germany and Belgium have sounded the alarm without intending to. They have finished analysing 2026 and started preparing for the future.

Nigeria should take notice.

The road to the 2030 World Cup did not begin with the qualifiers. It began the moment the 2026 tournament ended.

Germany and Belgium appear to understand that.

The question for Nigerian football is simple: Do we? The road to the 2030 World Cup is already open. Others have started moving. NFF, what are we waiting for?

There is an even bigger issue. What exactly is Nigeria’s football identity?

If a player graduates from the Golden Eaglets to the Flying Eagles, Olympic team and eventually the Super Eagles, is there a recognisable technical philosophy connecting those teams?

Or does every new coach arrive with an entirely different idea?

Successful football nations increasingly build systems rather than merely assemble teams.

Youth development, coaching education, scouting, sports science, analytics and senior national-team football are parts of the same structure.

Paul Okoku is a FIFA Legend | Journalist at Large | Founder & CEO, Greater Tomorrow Children Foundation | CAF Africa Cup of Nations Silver Medalist | Former Nigerian Super Eagles & Flying Eagles International | Former Olympic Qualifying Team Member | Football Analyst

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• Summary

• Infantino says World Cup critics were driven by hate
• World Cup ‘united countries facing conflict, instability and health crises’
• Infantino defends FIFA against criticism over visas, refereeing and disciplinary decisions

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has hit back at critics of ​the World Cup, accusing them of spreading hate and false narratives while defending the tournament as a success ‌that celebrated unity, safety and inclusion.

In an open letter published on Monday, Infantino, 56, said detractors had overlooked the joy and togetherness experienced by millions of fans around the world who witnessed the tournament, won by Spain and staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“You were ​so consumed by hate and criticism that you missed it all,” he said.

“To those behind their pens ​and papers, behind their screens spreading hate and false rumours, I want to say that ⁠while you are sitting behind, we at FIFA are on the front lines organising, working hard, and delivering the ​best show in the world.

“We experienced no violence, no incidents, 100% safety and security, only joy and happiness!”

FIFA faced criticism ​over a number of issues during the tournament, including debate over U.S. visa restrictions affecting supporters and officials from several countries and concerns involving teams from conflict-hit regions.

Infantino’s letter also followed scrutiny of FIFA’s handling of the Folarin Balogun disciplinary case, a decision to suspend the automatic ​one-match ban imposed on him after his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina following the intervention of U.S. President ​Donald Trump.

Officiating decisions in Argentina’s match against Egypt also generated widespread debate among fans and pundits.

Though Infantino did not refer to specific cases, ‌he argued ⁠that many of the refereeing and disciplinary decisions criticised during the tournament were commonplace in various competitions worldwide.

“Potentially mistaken red or yellow cards or subsequent decisions not to ban players in certain situations are routine and widely accepted in some of the biggest leagues worldwide,” he added.

“It’s curious that the same countries employing these practices are the ones criticising.

VISA ​CONTROVERSIES

Infantino pointed to the participation ​of countries facing political ⁠tensions, domestic crises and domestic health challenges as evidence of football’s ability to transcend divisions.

While Iran’s participation came against the backdrop of conflict with the U.S., issues surrounding Haiti’s domestic ​crisis and the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo also drew attention ​to visa and ⁠travel restrictions.

Somali World Cup referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was barred from entering the U.S. despite having a valid visa.

“Iran entered the United States without incident or conflict. The Iranian team received visas to enter because football is about peace. It’s not about ⁠politics,” he ​said.

“Countries facing serious health issues or other challenges were granted visas.

“When ​football brought Haiti to the world, a country that many cannot or choose not to visit, it might be time to set aside your pens ​and keyboards and show some respect to the teams that played.”

-Reuters

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