Guardiola ‘among Italy options, not an impossible dream’ says Minister for Sport

Minister for Sport Andrea Abodi insists getting former Manchester City hero Pep Guardiola to be the Italy coach is ‘one of the possible options, certainly not an impossible dream.’Roberto Baggio and Pep GuardiolaThe Spaniard is currently out of contract after walking away from the Etihad, having won everything possible during his decade-long tenure.His previous management experience was at Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but Guardiola did play in Serie A with Roma and Brescia, regularly returning to Italy and having many friends there.This is what makes the idea of him taking over the Nazionale entirely plausible.Guardiola has deep bond with ItalyMANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Antonio Conte, Head Coach of Napoli, and Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, embrace prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Manchester City and SSC Napoli at City of Manchester Stadium on September 18, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)“We’d have to understand if Guardiola wants to allow himself this, considering how much of Italy is in his life journey and I believe in his sentiments too,” Minister for Sport Abodi told Sky TG.“He is one of the possible options, certainly not an impossible dream. He is a very important coach, but the job of a national team coach is different, and we’d have to see if an extraordinary club tactician wants to also become an extraordinary national team coach.“I think this is a challenge that sooner or later Guardiola will want to do. It’s not about money, but ambition and dreams.”LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 27: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, acknowledges the fans after the team’s victory during the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on April 27, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)This decision won’t be made on Guardiola until there is a new Federation President in charge, with the election set for next month between Giovanni Malagò and Giancarlo Abete.“It takes more than a coach to make a Nazionale, he must be accompanied by a high level project,” warned the Minister for Sport.“It needs to be a stimulus to take back the path of excellence that we sacrificed with the incompetence of the directors, at club, League and FIGC levels.“We must work in an integrated fashion to achieve objectives and collaborate. It’s not enough to just open the gates to fill the stadiums.”Abodi seems fairly unimpressed with the candidates who are up for the role of FIGC President, noting that the clubs and leagues generally shrug off the experience of former players.“They believe players are not able to manage situations, so there are limitations both in the way projects are proposed, but also the way they are received.“I was in the Federation when Roberto Baggio presented his dossier, and the thing that surprised me was that the debate wasn’t up to the standards of the proposal. There was no real attention paid, it was probably too revolutionary, whereas football in our country is very traditionalist, not in a good way.“If that model remains in place, the Nazionale can do little.”The profound reflection was caused by Italy failing to qualify for a third consecutive edition of the World Cup.“It feels like a Century ago, yet we won the World Cup in 2006,” added Abodi.“I hope this can be a shock to the system, because it is not acceptable that for the third time we ended up in the Russian Roulette of the play-offs, against opponents who are hungrier.“I don’t think it’s a lack of talent, so much that we’ve fallen asleep and are overlooking what is there, to the point of ignoring it entirely.”Read More