Former China manager Fabio Cannavaro was named Udinese boss earlier this week and his debut in the dugout will be the final 18 minutes of a previously abandoned match against Roma.
On April 14 the two sides met for their scheduled Serie A encounter and, with the score locked at 1-1, Roma’s Evan Ndicka was hospitalised after suffering a medical emergency on the pitch and the match was stopped with 72 minutes on the clock.
The final 18 minutes of the match was rescheduled for Friday at 2am (HKT) but Udinese changed their manager following the weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Verona, with Gabriele Cioffi dismissed.
Serie A rules stipulate the two teams can field any available player – even ones who were injured or suspended for the original encounter – with the only exception being those who were substituted during the match. But nothing regarding changes in the dugout.
It’s an almost unprecedented situation where a team starts a match with one coach, and ends the game with another.
It is slightly reminiscent of when former Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol was informed at half-time of a Uefa Cup tie with Getafe in 2007 that he would be replaced by Juande Ramos, but still coached the rest of the game.
While, in 2012, Chelsea dismissed Andre Villa-Boas shortly after a 3-1 defeat to Napoli in the first leg of their Uefa Champions League. Replacement Roberto Di Matteo came in, turned the tie around and led the Blues to their first-ever triumph in the competition.
Cannavaro’s appointment at Udinese represents the 2006 Ballon d’Or-winner’s second role in Italy since leaving his post as China manager in 2019.
In 2017, he guided Tianjin Quanjian to promotion to the Chinese Super League and then into the AFC Champions League play-offs, winning the Chinese Football Association coach of the year along the way.
Cannavaro is the last defender to win the Ballon d’Or, 18 years ago, in the same season he led Italy to World Cup glory as captain. He is regarded as one of the great central defenders of his era.
Cannavaro played for Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid, before finishing his career in Dubai with Shabab Al Ahli.
The 50-year-old takes over an Udinese side in 17th place – outside the relegation zone only on goal difference – and will face 18th-place Frosinone on the final day of the campaign.
Cannavaro’s dugout debut pits him against Roma boss Daniele De Rossi, a teammate when Italy won the 2006 World Cup.
De Rossi was heavily critical of the timing of the rescheduling of this fixture, with his Champions League-chasing side still in the Europa League, but told the club’s in-house television that scoring a decisive goal inside 18 minutes was “not impossible”.
