Lippi calls it a day
Posted Wed, 12 Jul 2006
Italy's World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi has decided to stand down from the job, the Italian Football Federation announced on Wednesday.
"I believe that I have achieved what I set out to achieve as coach of the Italian team," Lippi said in a press release issued by the federation.
He said his decision came at the end of "an extraordinary professional and personal experience."
"I want to thank the federation for the confidence it had in me during the last two years of work crowned by a result that will rest in the annals of Italian football and live on in the memory of our fans," he added.
Italy won their fourth World Cup in Berlin on Sunday when they defeated France in the final 5-3 on penalties after the game had finished tied at 1-1 after extra-time.
The 58-year-old Lippi took over from Giovanni Trapattoni after Italy's poor showing at the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal.
Bearing a striking resemblance to Hollywood actor Paul Newman, Lippi won five league titles and a Champions League trophy during his two spells with Juventus from whom he parted company shortly before accepting the job as Italy coach.
He was born in the Tuscan seaside town of Viareggio and enjoyed an unspectacular playing career, his most successful spell coming at Genoa club Sampdoria.
His managerial career began in 1985 with third division Pontedera before taking the helm of top flight club Cesena four years later.
After spells at Atlanta and Napoli, Lippi's big breakthrough came in 1994 when he was given the job at Juventus and he led the club to the Serie A title in his first season in charge.
He guided Juve to two more championships before enjoying Champions League success in 1996 when they defeated Ajax on penalties at the Olympic stadium in Rome.
Lippi resigned from Juventus in February 1999 after a poor start to the season and took charge at Inter Milan for a little more than one season before returning to Turin.
He won successive league titles in 2002 and 2003 before losing the Champions League final to AC Milan on penalties last year.
Prior to Sunday, Italy had not won a trophy since they lifted the World Cup in 1982.
Lippi's resignation had been expected and media speculation have said that among those in the running to take over from him are former players like Roberto Donadoni or Gianluca Vialli as well as the coach Alberto Zaccheroni.
AFP
