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Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed he has received an offer to coach his country, Italy, but says he turned it down as he is still committed to managing Brazil.
Paolo Maldini, then the Italian FA technical director who played and coached with Ancelotti between 2001 and 2009 at AC Milan, told reporters last week that he approached Ancelotti after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.
Ancelotti said in his statements to the network.ESPN:“It’s not about the contract, that’s not the reason. “The reason is my loyalty to the Brazilian Football Confederation and to this country, because this country welcomed me very warmly during my first year.”
“I want to stay here. Of course, I thanked the Italian Federation, but I want to stay here because I think it is right and fair to stay in a country that welcomed me warmly and in an institution that gave me the opportunity to work.”
After Ancelotti was rejected by former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola from the Italian federation, plans to appoint Andrea Pirlo collapsed due to political concerns over a sponsorship deal with a Russian betting firm, and then Roberto Mancini was confirmed as Italy coach last Monday.
Ancelotti signed a deal with Brazil’s soccer confederation in May to extend the World Cup until 2030.This comes after the Italian coach took charge of the Samba team shortly after leaving Real Madrid a year ago.
Under the leadership of Ancelotti, Brazil was the fastest out of the World Cup since 1990, losing to Norway (2-1) in the round of 16.
“The World Cup result was not good, it disappointed everyone and we are all sad. But we have to look at the past with one eye and look at the future with another eye because with this next group of players, this country has talented players and we can build a bright future.”
Ancelotti is set to move forward with a new squad, with several veteran players likely to be replaced by younger players, including Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, who has announced his international retirement.
He added: “I think that historically a generation ends and another generation has to take its place, it has to be better than the previous generation.”
When asked about the likes of Alisson Becker, Casemiro, Danilo and Alex Sandro, who are all 33 and over, Ancelotti did not rule out the future of the squad but made it clear that changes are coming.
“We think some can join the team but we have to look forward to the new cycle and we will look at the new cycle and bring in new players.”
He concluded his speech. “It’s a chapter that’s coming to an end. Obviously, we have everyone to thank, and I love them all very much.”
