Italian Football Chief Cites Spain's De la Fuente as Coaching Model

Giovanni Malagò, president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), has identified Spain's national team coach, Luis de la Fuente, as a benchmark for selecting Italy's next manager. Malagò, who assumed his role just a month ago, stressed that the process involves assessing a candidate's interest, demands, and compatibility with the federation's budget.

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Before choosing the national coach, we must ask ourselves if the profile is interested, what demands he may have, and if all that is compatible with our budgets.

Malagò pointed to De la Fuente's recent World Cup victory with Spain as an example of a successful project built from the ground up. He noted that De la Fuente, who previously coached Spain's youth teams, has a deep understanding of the players and the development pathway. "This means that, regardless of the person, the structure and methodology of work must first be organized well," Malagò stated, underscoring the significance of a robust organizational framework over individual personalities.

The FIGC president also expressed a strong desire to enhance the overall quality of Italian football. "We must ensure that Italian players play better, are more valued, more involved, and better prepared both tactically and physically," he said. Malagò believes a fundamental shift in culture and mentality is crucial for any meaningful change to occur within the sport in Italy.

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De la Fuente inherited the Spanish national team after legendary figures like Luis Enrique. He comes from the lower categories of Spanish football and has coached these players since the U-21 teams and other youth categories. What does this mean? That, regardless of the person, the structure and methodology of work must first be organized well.

Regarding potential new hires, Malagò confirmed that Paolo Maldini has shown significant interest in a technical director position. He noted that discussions with Maldini have been extensive, focusing on various aspects of the federation's operations rather than solely on economic and contractual matters, which he sees as a testament to Maldini's seriousness.

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We must ensure that Italian players play better, are more valued, more involved, and better prepared both tactically and physically. I repeat: I believe this aspect is much more important. If they don't change the culture and mentality, how are things going to change?

When questioned about potential candidates for the national coach position, including Roberto Mancini and Andrea Pirlo, Malagò remained tight-lipped, stating only that "there are other possible names." He also outlined key priorities for his presidency, including the reform of stadium infrastructure, optimization of audiovisual rights revenue, and the digitalization of federative processes. Malagò previously led the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) for twelve years before taking the helm at the FIGC, succeeding Gabriele Gravina.

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And I assure you that the topic we have talked about the least has been the economic and contractual; that shows his seriousness.