Italian coaching boss Renzo Ulivieri has criticised Chelsea for the club’s pursuit of Italy national team coach Antonio Conte.
The Italian football federation (FIGC) confirmed on Tuesday that Conte will step down at the end of Euro 2016, with the former Juventus coach revealing he plans to return to club football.
Although there has been no official confirmation as to where he will coach next season, Conte is widely expected to take charge at Chelsea from the summer.
Ulivieri, the current chairman of the Italian Football Managers’ Association, says he is unhappy with the manner in which Conte had been courted by Chelsea.
“It was known that Conte would leave the national team,” Ulivieri said. “The thing I regret, though, is that a club contacts the coach of a national federation without any warning.
“It shows we are in a world which is failing to demonstrate even a minimum amount of education and manners.”
Massimiliano Allegri, Conte’s successor at Juventus, said that Italian coaches are among the best in the world and he had little doubt that Conte would prove a success at Chelsea.
“Italian coaches are very good,” he said ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich.
“Apart from some exceptional figures like Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, we are among the best. I don’t know if Conte will go to Chelsea. I’m sure he’ll do well if he does.”
Meanwhile, Tuttomercatoweb has reported that Chelsea have been in talks with another Italian coach with a view to strengthening the club’s backroom team. Walter Sabatini, Roma’s director of sport, has reportedly been in talks with the Premier League club with a view to working alongside Conte.
