Roberto Mancini is named Italy manager for a second spell – as chaos unfolds behind the scenes

Roberto Mancini is back in charge of Italy for a second time, just a day after frontrunner Andrea Pirlo pulled out of the running for the role.

Mancini has signed a four-year contract with the national side.

His first spell in charge brought success, with the Azzurri winning the delayed Euro 2020. However, that high also came with the failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

‘I believed that the best person to become head coach was Roberto Mancini,’ said Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malago.

Mancini replaces Gennaro Gattuso who stepped down in April after Italy failed to qualify for a third-straight World Cup.

The 61-year-old’s arrival is a surprise though with Pirlo looking set to take over on Monday but withdrew due to controversy over his ties to a Russian betting company.

Pirlo’s non-hire saw his former club and international team-mate Paolo Maldini resign as Italy’s technical director just two weeks into the role. Adviser Leonardo also quit.

Claudio Ranieri, who led Leicester City to the Premier League title in 2015-16, will replace Maldini as technical director.