The Italian Federation announced the appointment of Paolo Maldini as Technical Director of the Italian Federation, and the Brazilian Leonardo as advisor.
According to reports, Maldini's position is unprecedented in the Italian Federation, with comprehensive responsibility that goes beyond appointing the next head coach to include overseeing the entire path of the Italian national team.
Federation President Giovanni Malago stated: "Maldini has always been my target. I thought he was the right person to oversee the technical sector of the Italian Federation, which includes not only the national team, but also all youth teams."
He added, "Over the course of two weeks, we discussed all the projects in precise detail, and Paolo immediately told me that he would be pleased to involve Leonardo as an advisor, because the work is wide-ranging, requires great effort, and represents a challenge."
He continued, "I am happy about that because I have deep respect for Leonardo. They are two sides of the same coin; there is a four-year commitment that must lead us from now until 2030, up to the next World Cup, passing through the European Championship."
Paolo Maldini è il nuovo Direttore Tecnico FIGC e Presidente del Club Italia 💙🇮🇹@Azzurri
Maldini and Leonardo have previously worked together at Italian club Milan.
Maldini's first task will be to appoint a new technical director for the Azzurri, with Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini at the top of the candidates.
The Italian national team has missed the World Cup three consecutive times in a historic precedent.
A team from Bosnia lost in the final of the European playoff qualifier for the World Cup on penalties.
