Roberto Mancini is no longer the coach of Al Sadd. The Qatari champion officially announced the separation from the 61-year-old Italian specialist, and according to information from Reuters, he is among the main candidates to return to the helm of the Italian national team, BTA reports. Mancini took over Al Sadd with a contract until 2027, after ending his unsuccessful stay as coach of the Saudi Arabian national team. Although he managed to lead the team to the title in the Qatari championship, his performance in other tournaments did not fully meet expectations.
Italian media claim that the former coach of the “azurri“ is a favorite to return to the post. Italian football is looking for a new direction after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
In April, Gennaro Gattuso resigned as Italy coach following a defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2026 World Cup play-offs. Since then, the national team has been led on an interim basis by Silvio Baldini, who was recruited from the under-21 national team. Mancini remains one of the most successful figures in modern Italian football, having led Italy to the European title at Euro 2020.
Despite the championship triumph in Qatar, Al Sadd failed to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League and also lost the Qatar Cup final, which also influenced the decision to part ways between the club and the Italian specialist.