Italy's national football association (FIGC) has appointed Roberto Mancini as head coach, ending a chaotic 16-day search that led technical director Paolo Maldini and special advisor Leonardo to resign from their own roles. The saga began after Italy's failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, prompting the resignations of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon, and the election of new president Giovanni Malago, who had promised a "hard reset" for Italian football.

Malago appointed Maldini on 12 July to oversee a four-year footballing project through to the 2030 World Cup, with finding a new manager as his first task. Maldini and Leonardo were rebuffed by top targets Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti, and were then blocked by the FIGC hierarchy from appointing Andrea Pirlo amid public criticism. The breakdown in trust between Malago and Maldini over the eventual choice of Mancini led to Maldini and Leonardo's swift, though reportedly amicable, departure after just over a fortnight in post.