I made a big mistake – Roberto Mancini says after being sacked by Saudi Arabia a year after dumping Italian national team for lucrative contract

Veteran football coach, Roberto Mancini says he made a big mistake by quitting the Italy job for Saudi Arabia.

His role as head coach of Italy ended on August 12, 2023, after he accepted a very lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia to manage the team for four years.

But he was sacked by Saudi Arabia this month just a year into his four year contract after a poor run of results in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Speaking with Il Giornale, the Italian tactician stated that he would have kept hold of his job in Italy.

“No, I wouldn’t make the choice to leave the Italy bench again.

“That solid relationship of trust that I had with the Federation had been mutually undermined. If I could go back, I would approach everything differently. If (FIGC president Gabriele) Gravina and I had spoken, explained, clarified, things probably wouldn’t have gone this way.

“Coaching while feeling that the confidence in yourself wavers, believe me, is not a good feeling. It does not guarantee that you can work with the right serenity. Despite this, I reproach myself for not having faced everything more clearly.

“Between me and Gravina there has always been a relationship based on great respect and dialogue. And the time when perhaps it was necessary to speak clearly, it was not done.”