Italy chiefs confirm Ancelotti talks
Italian football federation (FIGC) chiefs confirmed talks had taken place with Carlo Ancelotti concerning the vacant Italy manager’s job but insisted there was no front-runner yet.
Ancelotti, who was sacked by Bayern Munich last September, met with FIGC commissioner Roberto Fabbricini and sub-commissioner Alessandro Costacurta in a Rome hotel on Monday.
It was reported the 58-yearold Italian has been offered a two-year contract, with the only sticking point being the financial terms.
But Fabbricini insisted the meeting was not an official one. “Ancelotti has a fairly serious family problem, and that’s why he was in Rome,” Fabbricini told Italian radio.
“Costacurta, having a strong friendship with Ancelotti, met him and I also took part in that meeting.
“We talked about a future scenario though, but we still have a coach [Luigi Di Biagio] under contract.
“I don’t think a coach can rule out a prestigious job like leading Italy. The Azzurri bench is always an objective for any coach.
“But, of course, there are other factors which affect the decision – the desire to work every day for example.
“No one is in pole, we want to respect the date of May 20 because the national team will play on May 28 [friendly against Saudi Arabia].”
Italy have been without a permanent manager since Gian Piero Ventura was sacked when the four-time champions failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years after losing to Sweden in a twolegged play-off in November.
Costacurta, who was coached by Ancelotti at AC Milan in the 1980s and 90s, was appointed to find a successor to Ventura and insisted the deadline stays May 20.
Among the other names being touted are Zenit St Petersburg coach Roberto Mancini, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, now in charge of French club Nantes.
“Carlo was in Rome for personal reasons, the chosen hotel was the one where I always stay myself and we found ourselves there at the same time,” Costacurta told Sky Sport Italia.
“If there will be an official meeting? Yes, but I still do not know when. We need people to make themselves available, we can’t get close to contracted coaches.”