Former Roma coach Claudio Ranieri announced that he had turned down the opportunity to succeed sacked coach Luciano Spalletti as Italy coach.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) made the 73-year-old coach an interesting offer, but surprisingly, he turned it down and preferred to continue in his new position as technical advisor to Roma.
Ranieri told Italian media, “I thank President Gravina for this opportunity; it is a great honor. But I have thought a lot and decided to continue working with Roma in my new position with full dedication.”
The veteran Italian coach also confirmed that Roma’s management had no objection to his departure to coach the Azzurri, but his decision to refuse was his own, as he believes it is best for him to continue with his previous decision to retire from coaching altogether.
With Ranieri’s refusal, Italy’s options for a successor to Spalletti are greatly diminished. The most likely candidate currently is Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli, as he is the only one open to the idea of terminating his contract with his team and returning to lead his country.
It’s worth noting that Spalletti was dismissed after a resounding 3-0 defeat to Norway in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which followed a very poor showing in Euro 2024 and the UEFA Nations League.
