Latest news with #Rome
Reuters
an hour ago
- Business
- Reuters
UniCredit CEO says likely to withdraw offer for Banco BPM
ROME, June 20 (Reuters) - The chief executive of UniCredit ( opens new tab said in a newspaper interview on Friday the Italian bank was likely to withdraw its offer for smaller peer Banco BPM ( opens new tab. Andrea Orcel told daily La Repubblica that his bank would continue to try to overcome government-imposed conditions and court appeals. "But if we don't manage to resolve (the problems), as is probable, we will withdraw," he said.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Gattuso is loved in Italy as a World Cup winner and for being who he is. Will that be enough?
Claudio Ranieri stepped out for the press conference in Rome. As he pulled back a chair and the cameras flashed, a mischievous smile appeared on his face. For once, Ranieri was not being unveiled as a new coach. Instead, he was the one doing the unveiling. Beside him was Gian Piero Gasperini, his successor at Roma. Ranieri leaned into the microphone like a stand-up comedian. He had a joke to crack. Advertisement 'Hello everyone,' he said. 'I think this is the first time you get to see two coaches (at one press conference). But don't be confused, eh. I still have a contract until June 30, so…' The gag went down well. Everybody laughed. But it fell flat elsewhere in the city — the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) was still getting over Ranieri's decision to turn down their offer to take over the national team. Its president, Gabriele Gravina, thought he had an agreement on a job-share whereby Ranieri would combine his forthcoming executive role at Roma with guiding Italy along the road to the World Cup next summer. However, Ranieri had second thoughts about the idea. The 73-year-old only returned to the touchline in November, six months after leaving what he had said would be his last job at Cagliari, because his hometown club were in such dire straits. If he had wished to continue coaching, rather than retreat back into (semi) retirement, he would have stayed on as Roma's manager. This was a double blow for the FIGC in their search for a replacement for Luciano Spalletti, who Gravina fired a couple of weeks ago following a 3-0 defeat away to Norway in Italy's opening World Cup qualifier. First of all, Ranieri's reputation hasn't been this high since he won the 2015-16 Premier League with 5,000-1 outsiders Leicester City. Over the past nine months, he has resembled a nonno, the grandfather figure of the Italian game, with a timeless winning recipe. Only Hansi Flick's Barcelona picked up more points than Roma in the second half of last season across Europe's top five leagues. Second, Ranieri, in his new position as adviser to Roma's owners, The Friedkin Group, was announcing Gasperini — someone who would have been another outstanding candidate to lead the national team. For context, the managerial carousel started at warp-speed this summer and left the FIGC with whiplash. Advertisement The initial uncertainty over Antonio Conte's future at new champions Napoli caused Milan to accelerate their pursuit of Massimiliano Allegri, who would have figured as another contender for the Italy gig had he been available. Brazil had spent more than a year courting Carlo Ancelotti to manage their national team, and finally got their man. Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal then threw more money at Inter's Simone Inzaghi than the FIGC could ever muster. Gravina also didn't have a job to offer until after that obliteration in Oslo on June 6. Which raised the question: shouldn't he have dismissed Spalletti already, after defending champions Italy's exit from the European Championship against Switzerland in the round of 16 last summer? It would have been premature to act then. Spalletti had Gravina's gratitude for leaving his post-Napoli sabbatical to take over Italy in difficult circumstances following Roberto Mancini's resignation to manage Saudi's national team, and the Euros came less than a year later. Spalletti deserved more time. With hindsight, it is easy to say that the interim was a waste of that time. So the options available to Gravina were limited. He leaned on Gianluigi Buffon, the country's most capped player, who became a member of his executive team after retiring in 2023, to help with the process of identifying Italy's next coach. Buffon had initially been made head of the delegation when he hung up the gloves — a counsellor and motivator the players could turn to for wisdom. Reports abounded late last summer that he considered his position after the Euros. Instead, Buffon broadened his remit. Since completing a course in the role, he is closer to a sporting director now. Drama never seems to be far away. One newspaper, La Sicilia, claimed Buffon almost quit when the return of Mancini, who only lasted 14 months in Saudi, was apparently put on the table. Advertisement Buffon skilfully handled questions about it at another press conference in Rome this week. 'As is the case every year, my contract expires on June 30, so the issue of resigning has never arisen.' Good save, Gigi. Next to Buffon and Gravina at the Parco dei Principi hotel sat the national team's new manager. He was not a foreigner, though the paucity of choice had sparked debate in Italy about whether it was time to appeal to someone like Jose Mourinho. In the end, the FIGC settled on one of the heroes of 2006, when Italy last won the World Cup: Gennaro Gattuso. 'This is a dream come true,' Gattuso said. 'I hope I am up to the task.' So does the rest of Italy. Missing out on qualification for a third consecutive World Cup doesn't bear thinking about. The explanations Buffon and Gravina offered for the hire came back to one intangible essential: vibes. They talked about passion, fire in the belly, and knowing what it means to represent your country. 'No one can ever take away Rino's fighting spirit and determination,' Buffon said. Gravina admired his self-'sacrifice' and the way he dealt with media scrutiny while coach of Milan and later Napoli. On the one hand, it is entirely understandable why the FIGC has gone in this direction. Italy were insipid against the Swiss in that Euros defeat this time last year. There was no soul in their recent performance in Norway either, when they found themselves three goals down at half-time. Gattuso will surely shock them back to life. And yet he was at pains to present himself as more than just a hype man. 'Everyone thinks of Gattuso as all heart and grit, but today I wouldn't put (that) Gattuso in my team, because of the way I want to play,' he said. At the same time, the 47-year-old spoke repeatedly about team spirit, identity, and the need for Italian players to reconnect with their national team. Advertisement His desire to emulate Marcello Lippi was less about also winning the World Cup and more about bonding a group of players and fostering the togetherness — the sense of belonging — which underpinned that 2006 team. Some members of it — Gianluca Zambrotta and Simone Perrotta — will be on his coaching staff, along with Leonardo Bonucci, one of the leaders of the Mancini-led Euro 2020-winning side. Cesare Prandelli, Italy coach from 2010-14, is also set to return. He will coordinate the development of Italy's next generation, focusing on the age groups below the senior side and acting in support of the youth-team coaches, as Arrigo Sacchi did a decade ago. The new setup has not won the approval that Spalletti's or Conte's appointments received in the past. Both were viewed for what they are: world-class coaches. Gattuso, by comparison, can't seem to stay in a job for more than two years, and the Coppa Italia he won with Napoli in an empty Stadio Olimpico during the pandemic was quickly eclipsed by the aforementioned managers winning the title with that club. He has bounced around posts in Switzerland, Greece, Spain, France and Croatia, also managed Palermo and Pisa (twice) and had talks with Tottenham Hotspur. Gravina's praise for his temperament amid the media glare also left one with the impression that the FIGC president can't be on social media, where the reels of Gattuso's press conference shenanigans have guaranteed virality. His 'sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe s**t' fulmination while at OFC Crete accurately describes Italy's past 15 years on the international stage. Good at the Euros (let's try to forget about last summer). Bad at making World Cups. Gattuso's most recent job saw him rescind his contract with Hajduk Split this month after 'only' a third-place finish, and Gravina particularly appreciated his promotion of academy players. 'This year, I played with (players born in) 2005, 2006 and 2007,' Gattuso said. Advertisement What everyone else appreciated about his season in Croatia were the memes. Gattuso shaved off his beard for the first time in 22 years (it was for a good cause; a local cancer charity); looking for hydration after a game, he grabbed a sponsored bottle during a press conference, took a swig, pulled a face, then looked at the label and realised it was coconut water. More famous was the mix of Spanish and English he spoke when confronting a critic, TV pundit Josko Jelicic, live on air. 'I don't give the hand to you because you speak too much,' he bristled. This is Gattuso: unapologetically himself and endearingly so. Italians love him. He is a legend not only for helping win the World Cup but for being who he is. Is that enough? Conte still represents the perfect combination of motivation and strategy. Gattuso would like to think he offers something similar. But the results, so far, have not backed it up. Nevertheless, Gattuso believes Italy have the players to do better than they showed under Spalletti. Personality clashes aside, the problems of his predecessor, however, reveal the significant difficulty level of the job awaiting him. That a coach as skilled as Spalletti couldn't lift this team — either to make them play to their potential or become greater than the sum of their parts — is a concern. 'I don't leave a great Italy,' Spalletti said in his last media engagement. 'You can't do differently; there are many games (the calendar causes fatigue and compresses the time available to train), many foreign players (68 per cent of Serie A), and the number of players available is limited (because of injury). Then there are those who do not play for major clubs, those who do not play in European competitions, and others who are still developing.' One imagines Ranieri won't regret resisting the temptation to coach his country. He appeared to show wisdom in knowing when to say: 'No'. Gattuso, by contrast, didn't hesitate in saying: 'Yes' to Gravina. He obviously needs it more. For Gattuso, the inevitable hassle of the Italy job is superseded by the honour it brings. What that tells us about his judgement, and that of the FIGC, will become clear over the next year.
Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Parma appoint Arsenal's Cuesta as youngest coach in Serie A history
ROME, June 20 — Parma made 29-year-old Carlos Cuesta the youngest head coach in the history of Serie A yesterday when they hired the Spaniard to replace Cristian Chivu. 'Parma Calcio are delighted to announce that, as of 1 July, Carlos Cuesta will become manager of the Men's First Team,' the club announced on their website adding that the coach had signed a two-year contract. Cuesta arrives from Arsenal, where he had worked as an assistant to Mikel Arteta since 2000. Before that he spent two years in Italy as a youth coach at Juventus. Cuesta, a native of Mallorca who turns 30 in July, becomes the youngest current coach in any of the 'Big Five' European leagues. Parma returned to Serie A and were struggling in 18th place when Chivu was appointed in February, after seven years coaching Inter Milan youth teams. In 13 matches in his first senior head coaching job, the Romanian won three, lost three and drew even to guide the club to 16th and Serie A survival. Chivu left after the season to take over at Inter, where he also spent six seasons as a player. Cuesta was reportedly preferred to Italians Daniele De Rossi, Alberto Gilardino, and Paolo Vanoli. The Serie A season does not start until August 23, but Cuesta is the ninth new coach appointed this summer. Two more of the 20 clubs have unfilled vacancies. — AFP
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Italy, pressed to lower deficit but hike defense spending, lashes at ‘stupid' EU rules
ROME: European Union budget rules are 'stupid and senseless' and need to be changed to allow member states to boost defense spending as recommended by Brussels, Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Thursday. The EU Commission has introduced flexibility clauses to allow more investment in security, but Giorgetti said their current form penalizes countries such as Italy, which are under a so-called EU infringement procedure for their excessive deficits. 'It is essential to find ways to bring these rules up to date with the crisis we are experiencing so that they do not seem stupid and senseless,' the minister said in a statement issued by his staff on the sidelines of a meeting with euro zone peers in Luxembourg. The title of the statement was blunter, saying Giorgetti called for changes to 'stupid and senseless rules.' Brussels has proposed allowing member states to raise defense spending by 1.5 percent of gross domestic product each year for four years without any disciplinary steps that would normally kick in once a deficit is more than 3 percent of GDP. The plan came amid growing pressure in Europe to boost military spending to deter a potential attack from Russia and become less dependent on the United States. Highly-indebted Italy is set this year to meet the NATO defense target of 2 percent of GDP through a series of accounting changes, but an alliance summit next week is expected to raise the goal to 5 percent of GDP. Giorgetti said that, under the Commission's scheme, member states not subject to the EU's excessive deficit procedure would be allowed to use the extra leeway on defense without breaching budget rules, even if their deficits rise above the 3 percent of GDP ceiling. However, 'member states already in the infringement procedure cannot use the same flexibility,' he added. In this situation Italy is reluctant to use the EU flexibility clause because it would prevent it from lowering its deficit to 2.8 percent of GDP in 2026 from 3.4 percent last year, as planned. 'Italy is committed to a timely exit from the infringement procedure and accepting the invitation to increase defense spending would forever prevent this,' Giorgetti said. Rome is also wary of any move that could harm its improving reputation on financial markets, two government officials said. Last month, credit ratings agency Moody's upgraded Italy's outlook to 'positive' after rival S&P Global raised the country's rating to 'BBB+' from 'BBB.' Italy's preferred option would be the issuance of common EU debt to finance higher defense spending, one of the officials said, but such a plan would require support from the other bloc members. (Editing by Alvise Armellini and Gavin Jones)
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Italian Man, 80, Drives Down Rome's Spanish Steps; Has Car Removed From Historic Monument by Crane
An elderly man's car had to be removed via crane from the Spanish Steps in Rome after he drove down them. The man appeared to be in a state of confusion when the municipal police and firefighters arrived at the scene, Il Corriere della Sera reported. The car itself had to be lifted from the steps using a crane, per The New York Times.
