Post by Grey on Jun 25, 2004 13:49:08 GMT -5
ROME, June 25 (Reuters) - Former Juventus coach Marcello Lippi was named on Friday as Italy's new coach starting on July 16.
Lippi, 56, will take over the day after Giovanni Trapattoni's contract expires, Italian football federation president Franco Carraro said. His contract will run until the end of the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
Carraro told reporters: 'As president of the football federation I must thank Giovanni Trapattoni for his integrity.
'I hope Marcello Lippi will be able to qualify Italy as quickly as possible for the 2006 World Cup finals.'
Trapattoni, 65, had been widely expected to stand down at a federation board meeting on Friday following Italy's early exit from Euro 2004.
But despite Italy's disappointing display in Portugal, Trapattoni was unwilling to resign before his contract ran out, insisting his team were among the top four or five in Europe.
Italy finished only third in Group C despite their 2-1 win over Bulgaria in their last match.
Trapattoni took over from Dino Zoff following Italy's defeat by France in the Euro 2000 final and suffered disappointment at the World Cup two years ago when his team were eliminated in the second round by South Korea.
Lippi won five Serie A titles in two spells with Juventus as well as a Champions League crown, the European Supercup and the Intercontinental Cup.
'I'm very enthusiastic. It's like any big job - you can't start out by being worried,' he told reporters.
Asked whether he had spoken to Trapattoni about the pitfalls, Lippi replied: 'He's told me this isn't a bad job. It's prestigious and certainly not easy. But then nothing is easy in football.
'I've always said the national team is the true expression of a nation's football - not the clubs, which often have seven or eight foreign players,' he said.
'But I'll use all my international experience to put together a group of players, which will probably include some from the under-21 squad, with the aim of producing a good performance at the 2006 World Cup.'
Lippi stood down as Juventus coach at the end of last season after the club finished a disappointing third in Serie A and were eliminated in the first knockout round of the Champions League.
Initially he talked about taking a sabbatical, but the prospect of taking over from Trapattoni proved too tempting.
'Of course I'd been following the progress of the national team in Portugal with interest,' he said.
'Though I didn't maybe expect things to happen this quickly there was still the sensation that if things didn't go well the call could come sooner than expected.
'I didn't have to think very long when they asked me - this isn't the kind of job offer you throw away.'
Lippi's first game in charge of Italy will be a friendly against Iceland on August 18.
Lippi, 56, will take over the day after Giovanni Trapattoni's contract expires, Italian football federation president Franco Carraro said. His contract will run until the end of the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
Carraro told reporters: 'As president of the football federation I must thank Giovanni Trapattoni for his integrity.
'I hope Marcello Lippi will be able to qualify Italy as quickly as possible for the 2006 World Cup finals.'
Trapattoni, 65, had been widely expected to stand down at a federation board meeting on Friday following Italy's early exit from Euro 2004.
But despite Italy's disappointing display in Portugal, Trapattoni was unwilling to resign before his contract ran out, insisting his team were among the top four or five in Europe.
Italy finished only third in Group C despite their 2-1 win over Bulgaria in their last match.
Trapattoni took over from Dino Zoff following Italy's defeat by France in the Euro 2000 final and suffered disappointment at the World Cup two years ago when his team were eliminated in the second round by South Korea.
Lippi won five Serie A titles in two spells with Juventus as well as a Champions League crown, the European Supercup and the Intercontinental Cup.
'I'm very enthusiastic. It's like any big job - you can't start out by being worried,' he told reporters.
Asked whether he had spoken to Trapattoni about the pitfalls, Lippi replied: 'He's told me this isn't a bad job. It's prestigious and certainly not easy. But then nothing is easy in football.
'I've always said the national team is the true expression of a nation's football - not the clubs, which often have seven or eight foreign players,' he said.
'But I'll use all my international experience to put together a group of players, which will probably include some from the under-21 squad, with the aim of producing a good performance at the 2006 World Cup.'
Lippi stood down as Juventus coach at the end of last season after the club finished a disappointing third in Serie A and were eliminated in the first knockout round of the Champions League.
Initially he talked about taking a sabbatical, but the prospect of taking over from Trapattoni proved too tempting.
'Of course I'd been following the progress of the national team in Portugal with interest,' he said.
'Though I didn't maybe expect things to happen this quickly there was still the sensation that if things didn't go well the call could come sooner than expected.
'I didn't have to think very long when they asked me - this isn't the kind of job offer you throw away.'
Lippi's first game in charge of Italy will be a friendly against Iceland on August 18.
