The decision was finally made. According to information released this Friday by the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Pep Guardiola contacted the directors of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Paolo Maldini and Leonardo, in the last few hours, to inform them that he refused the invitation to take command of the Italian national team.
Decision is made! Guardiola says 'no' to Italy
The decision was finally made. According to information released this Friday by the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Pep Guardiola contacted the directors of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Paolo Maldini...
"Thank you, I'm honored, but at this point, I'm not interested." These would have been the words of the Catalan coach who, it is worth remembering, is free on the market after ending his time at Manchester City, the club he led since 2016, to take on the role of ambassador for the City Football Group.
At 55 years old, after so many seasons at the highest level of football — both at Manchester City and previously at Barcelona and Bayern Munich — Guardiola understands that the time has come to take a break from his career to dedicate himself to his personal life, especially his family.
"If I take on a job, it will be with total dedication," Guardiola reportedly said during the conversations. At one point, the possibility of delegating a large part of the daily activities to the technical committee in a long-term project was discussed, expected to last between eight and ten years.
However, leading the Italian national team on a partial dedication basis was never in the Santpedor-born coach's plans. Despite his admiration for Paolo Maldini, his long-time friend and current technical director of the FIGC, the final answer was a categorical "no".
This decision comes about 24 hours after the same newspaper reported that Guardiola had requested a salary of approximately 20 million euros per year — practically double the amount that the Italian Federation was willing to pay.
Italy goes to "plan B"
Pep Guardiola was Italy's main name to replace Gennaro Gattuso, who left his post after failing to avoid another elimination for the Italian team in the dispute for a place in the World Cup.
With the Spaniard's refusal, the FIGC is now focusing its efforts on the so-called "plan B": Andrea Pirlo.
Unlike Guardiola, Pirlo is employed. The former midfielder took charge of Dubai United FC, from the United Arab Emirates, about a year ago, after unsuccessful spells at Juventus, Fatih Karagümrük, from Turkey, and, more recently, Sampdoria.
The calendar is tight, but the Italian Federation intends to define the new coach before the first break for national team matches of the 2026/27 season, scheduled for around two months from now, when the new edition of the Nations League will begin.
Italy is part of Group A1 and debuts in the competition against Belgium, on September 25th, at 3:45 pm (Brasília time), at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Three days later, on September 28, they face Turkey, at Yeni Ankara 19 May?s Stadyumu, also at 3:45 pm.
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Source: Noticias ao Minuto - Esporte
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