SerpApi.Org
The Italian Federation breaks its rules for Guardiola
Giovanni Malago, president of the Italian Football Federation, has confirmed that the salary proposed for Spanish coach Pep Guardiola to take charge of the Azzurri would represent a financial exception for the federation's budget. He also stressed that sealing the deal is still far from guaranteed.
His comments follow 48 hours of frenzied speculation. Reports claim Italy's technical director Paolo Maldini and his special adviser Leonardo travelled to Barcelona for a series of intensive talks with Guardiola over the weekend. The national team's new technical management is seriously pushing to persuade the former Manchester City manager to lead the Azzurri's new project.
The cost of the Spanish coach's salary had looked like an obstacle to any deal, yet Malago's words opened the door. In comments carried by the "Football Italia" website, he said: "There are certain financial aspects that must be taken into consideration, and to say that we would have to stretch ourselves financially to cover them is an understatement of reality."
Naming the Spanish coach directly, Malago added: "There are some exceptions that could be approved, and these are the exceptions relating to the name that is causing all this debate at the moment: Pep Guardiola. I do not need to explain the obvious reasons that make him an exception, but this does not mean there are any guarantees the matter will be completed."
Maldini and Leonardo visiting Guardiola in person to present the project points clearly to the direction of Italian football's restructuring, observers believe. Malago responded: "I think it was right and highly important to open the door to dialogue and keep it alive."
On the lack of contact with Antonio Conte and whether the federation is chasing different qualities, Malago explained: "The matter does not involve any disrespect towards others. Discussions have indeed taken place with other names, and we may head towards an option that belongs to a more modern school of thought, which is a matter of personal judgement."
Asked whether the shortlist had narrowed to Guardiola, Andrea Pirlo and Roberto Mancini, Malago concluded: "Of course not. We are thinking about certain specifications for the coach, and these names certainly fall within this category."
