Bangkok: Italian football is facing a new crisis after technical director Paolo Maldini resigned just days after taking the job. Paolo Maldini, legendary Italian national team defender, had been appointed as technical director of the Italian Football Federation, along with Leonardo, former Brazilian national team midfielder, as an advisor, on July 11th. Their main task was to revitalize the Italian national team after failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time. One of their first tasks was to find a new head coach to replace Gennaro Gattuso, who had resigned.
According to Thai News Agency, Maldini and Leonardo decided to resign after only 16 days in office. This resignation came after Andrea Pirlo was disqualified from the national team coach position due to opposition regarding his business ties with a Russian betting company, despite Pirlo being Maldini's first choice.
This situation presents Giovanni Malago, the new president of the Italian Football Federation, with a major challenge. However, recent reports name Roberto Mancini, Thiago Motta, and Antonio Conte as candidates to manage the Azzurri.
The French Football Federation is preparing to announce the appointment of Zinedine Zidane, a legendary French midfielder, as the new head coach of the French national team. He will replace Didier Deschamps, who will leave the team after the 2026 World Cup. Zidane managed the French national team for 14 years, leading them to victory in the 2018 World Cup and a runner-up finish in Euro 2016. The 54-year-old Zidane has been without a coaching position since parting ways with Real Madrid in 2021. He led Real Madrid to three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018 and is considered one of France's greatest players, having led the team to victory in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, and winning the Ballon d'Or in 1998. His first match under Zidane would be an away game against Turkey in the UEFA Nations League on September 25th.