Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/653685
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 16 MARCH 2016 20 Sport SPORTTODAY FOOTBALL Antonio Conte to leave Italy role Struggling Udinese sack Colantuono, appoint De Canio ANTONIO Conte will be clear to take the Chelsea job he has been strongly linked with when he leaves his role as Italy boss follow- ing Euro 2016. The 46-year-old former Juventus coach took control of the Azzurri in August 2014 and, without a fan- fare, secured their qualification for the European Championship in France which starts in June. But Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Carlo Tavecchio on Tuesday revealed Conte had informed him of his desire to re- turn to club management after the summer finals. Speaking ahead of an FIGC con- gress in Rome, Tavecchio told figc. it: "Antonio Conte has told me that at the end of the European Championship his experience with us will come to an end. "Conte feels the lure of the train- ing ground, the daily work of training, and that is understand- able. "Now is the time for us to take stock of the decision of a person who has worked with commit- ment and sacrifice in his mission to lead our national team's recov- ery. "I will always thank him for that." Conte, a former midfielder with Juve who returned to the Biancon- eri as manager in 2011, has report- edly held talks with Chelsea over replacing Jose Mourinho at Stam- ford Bridge. An announcement could be made this week with both parties free to complete a deal to charge Conte with restoring the 2014-15 Barclays Premier League champi- ons' fortunes following a dismal season. Conte is understood to have been taking English lessons in the last few months with a view to fa- cilitating his first ever foray into overseas management. If he takes the Chelsea job - re- placing interim boss Guus Hid- dink - he will bring assistants Massimo Carrera, Angelo Alessio, Paolo Bertelli, Mauro Sandreani and his brother Gianluca to west London. After retiring as a player in 2004 Conte took coaching roles with Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta and Siena. His success in guiding the Tus- cans to promotion from Serie B captured Juve's attention and he replaced Luigi Delneri, who had only been able to secure a sev- enth-place finish in the top flight. Juve would go unbeaten throughout Conte's first season in charge and they retained the Scudetto despite losing their boss for four months as he served an FIGC ban for failing to report his knowledge of attempted match- fixing that allegedly occurred during his time with Siena. The Bianconeri, who by 2014 boasted Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba and Andrea Pi- rlo in a fearsome line-up, made it three titles in a row before Conte took up the reins of the national team. An unspectacular qualifying campaign raised questions about his long-term credentials and commitment to the Azzurri, and Tuesday's announcement therefore came as no real surprise. The 2006 World Cup winners must tackle Belgium, Ireland and Sweden at the Euros, while Conte must this week- end select a squad for upcoming friendly meetings with Spain and Germany. Tavecchio has said Conte's suc- cessor "will be discussed in due course". The administrator said: "We will take all necessary steps to ensure that the choice is not influenced by the personal preferences of myself, Conte, or anyone else. The most important thing is the team." Former England man- ager Fabio Capello, Bologna boss Roberto Donadoni and Leices- ter's title-chasing tactician Claudio Ra- nieri have been men- tioned as possible replacements in the Italian press. Antonio Conte will be clear to take the Chelsea job when he leaves his role as Italy boss following Euro 2016 Antonio Conte UDINESE sacked head coach Stefano Colan- tuono and appointed former boss Luigi De Canio on Monday as the struggling Italian club try to avoid relegation. Udinese, currently 16th in Serie A, have reg- istered only one win in their last 11 games and sit four points off the relegation places follow- ing Sunday's 2-1 home loss to AS Roma. "Manager Stefano Colantuono has been re- lieved of his duties as head coach of Udinese First Team," the Italian club said on their web- site (www.udinese.it). Colantuono joined Udinese in June after be- ing sacked as Atalanta's coach last season. De Canio, who returns to the club after 15 years, has signed on for the final nine game of the season. Luigi de Canio Juve's Dybala and Marchisio ruled out of Bayern game JUVENTUS will be without striker Paulo Dybala and mid- fielder Claudio Marchisio when they face Bayern Munich in their Champions League round of 16 second leg, the Italian club said yesterday. The Bianconeri players were injured in training and medi- cal checks ruled Dybala, the 22-year-old Argentine, out of the game in Munich on Wednesday due to a minor muscle problem. Italy international Marchisio was diagnosed with a torn calf muscle and will be sidelined for up to 20 days. Last season's Champions League finalists came from two goals down to draw 2-2 in Turin and must beat Bayern or score three goals or more in a draw to advance to the quarter-finals of Europe's premier club competi- tion. Juventus, like Bayern, are chas- ing a treble of titles this season, leading the Serie A race by three points thanks to a near flawless run this year. They have conceded only one goal in 12 Serie A matches in 2016, keeping an unprecedented 10th successive clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Sassuolo last week.