Gianluigi Buffon threatens to quit Italy as legendary goalkeeper vetoes Roberto Mancini's return to give Gennaro Gattuso the nod instead

Ex-Italy and Manchester City boss Mancini emerged as a candidate to take over as head coach following Luciano Spalletti's sacking and the rejections of Claudio Ranieri and Stefano Pioli. Mancini even publicly declared his desire to take the job back but the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) eventually turned to Gennaro Gattuso, who was officially announced as the new coach on Sunday.

The decision to choose Gattuso over Mancini was not a unanimous one, according to newspaper La Sicilia, which claims the former Inter manager's candidacy was strongly backed by part of the group tasked with deciding who would get the job. Several prominent figures expressed their desire to see Mancini return, believing him to be the only person capable of restoring discipline and team spirit after several difficult months.

This, however, sparked a furious reaction from legendary former goalkeeper Buffon, who is the head of the national team delegation, as he threatened to resign in an attempt to veto the calls. The FIGC opted to side with him.

The appointment of former Italy midfielder Gattuso has sparked confusion among the press, with many questioning if he is the right man for the job. He was in charge of Croatian side Hajduk Split before he terminated his contract this month before accepting the Italy job.

Italy will play their first game under the new coach on September 5 when they host Estonia in World Cup qualifying. Three days later, they will take on Israel.