'I'm very sorry': Roberto Mancini apologises after Italy return

Rome: Roberto Mancini issued an apology in his first public comments Wednesday after being rehired to coach an Italy squad in crisis three years after he abandoned the same job for a lucrative contract with Saudi Arabia.

"I'm very sorry," Mancini said. "It was like losing the woman of your life. And it means you did something that shouldn't have been done. So I'm sorry, very sorry also for everything that happened over these last three years. … I'm going to try to bring the national team back where it belongs."

Italy failed for a third straight time to qualify for the World Cup, prompting the resignations of federation president Gabriele Gravina and coach Gennaro Gattuso in April, shortly after a playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The 61-year-old Mancini led the Azzurri to the European Championship title in 2021 but shockingly resigned as Italy coach in August 2023, taking over Saudi Arabia's national team two weeks later.

"It was completely my fault," Mancini said, referring to a lack of communication with Gravina.

Mancini's first match back in charge will be against Belgium in the Nations League on Sept. 25 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. He was asked about what type of reception fans might give him.

"I realize some people will be against me," Mancini said. "I'm hoping the squad plays well enough that maybe people will forgive me."

Mancini was a fourth-choice option after Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola turned the job down and Andrea Pirlo was dropped as a candidate amid political concerns over a sponsorship deal with a Russian betting firm.