Italian football: Maldini is now helping out

There is an excellent World Cup atmosphere in Italy. Almost as a surprise, the broadcasting stations announced extremely positive ratings a few days ago, the sports newspapers reported with joy about the middle finger from “Papá Haaland”, the “final game of this century” France against Spain or about Lionel Messi handing over his jersey to Roberto Baggio after the quarter-final win against Switzerland. And then there is our own national team, which is not taking part, but at least has some positive news to report.

White smoke has been rising these days over the headquarters of the Italian Football Association FIGC in Rome, not far from Villa Borghese. Just two weeks ago, Giovanni Malagó moved in as the new president: the former head of the Italian Olympic Committee and organizer of the Winter Olympics in February is now supposed to reorganize the battered football association. A challenging task that Malagó distributes on famous shoulders: Paolo Maldini, the FIGC announced on Saturday, will be the new technical director and president of the so-called Club Italia, the umbrella organization of all national teams.

Maldini, 58, has a remarkable unifying effect on Italian football. Former professionals, the majority of Serie A clubs, commentators in all types of media agreed: Maldini was the one right choicethe right choice. Simply because his name has the weight to take on the task. Not only Paolo, who played 126 times for the Squadra Azzurra, but also his father Cesare, who was national coach at the 1998 World Cup, has left his mark on Italian football.

But Maldini enjoys an outstanding reputation in the country not only because of the memories of his time as an elegant defender. He was technical director at AC Milan for four years between 2019 and 2023 before American owner Gerry Cardinale harshly kicked him out. This is still considered a serious mistake today; the Rossoneri have been going from crisis to crisis since Maldini’s dismissal. And the rest of Italian football did not understand the dismissal even then: “I like the idea that this task represents a kind of compensation for Paolo (…) for the way he was treated by the Americans at AC Milan,” wrote im Corriere dello Sport the well-known columnist Ivan Zazzaroni.

Some skepticism remains: Should an outstanding jockey ride a lame horse?

Even though Zazzaroni couldn’t hide a hint of skepticism. From jockey and cavallo was to be read, from jockey and racehorse: As welcome as Maldini’s appointment may be, it only covers up the recognized problem that Italian football fundamentally lacks innovative strength. That the horse is lame, even if an excellent jockey is riding. The biggest challenge for Maldini and his advisor Leonardo, who was also introduced and with whom he once played at Milan, is that they have to cope with two tasks at the same time: Long-term issues such as youth work and coach training must be restructured, possibly against resistance from an old system. And at the same time, the patient called the national team needs urgent emergency care at short notice.

Maldini’s decisive first official act is closely linked to this: Italy still needs a new national coach, in the organizational chart that can be viewed on the website it says next to the position:technical commissioner” currently just a dreary, small line. Two obvious candidates are still in the race, both of whom have had the job before: Antonio Conte from 2014 to 2016, Roberto Mancini from 2018 to 2023. But both also have arguments against themselves. Conte is known for successful open heart operations, but neither for long-term projects. Mancini had given up office in 2023 for the reputation of money from Saudi Arabia, which many have not forgiven him for to this day Despite all the apologies and the fact that he coached the last successful national team to win the 2021 European Championship.

Die Gazzetta dello Sport asked why Maldini and Leonardo “don’t just give it a try” and recalled a coach whose love for Italian football is documented and who has recently been out of a job. For now, however, Pep Guardiola is just a pipe dream that can be easily sold in a country that would like to experience an excellent World Cup atmosphere again – in the role of a participant, mind you.