Mancini leaves Qatari club Al-Sadd, linked with return to Italian national team

Roberto Mancini has left Al ⁠Sadd
Roberto Mancini has left Al ⁠SaddReuters / Stringer

Roberto Mancini has left Al-Sadd, the Qatar Stars League champions announced on Saturday, ‌with the 61-year-old coach widely ‌expected to return to ‌the Italy national team.

Mancini, who ‌led Italy to their last ‌success by winning EURO 2020, had signed a contract with ‌the Qatari side until ⁠2027 ‌after an unsuccessful spell with the Saudi ​national team.

Italian media report that Mancini is the ​favourite to coach Italy, with the four-time world champions seeking ⁠to ​regain momentum after failing to qualify for a third successive World Cup.

In April, Gennaro Gattuso ‌left the job of Italy coach after a World Cup qualifying defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina and the team have since been led by Silvio Baldini, who stepped up from under-21 manager ‌to fill the gap.

Despite winning ​the QSL, Al-Sadd ‌failed to reach the final four of the AFC Champions League Elite and lost in the Qatar Cup ⁠final.

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