The resignation of Cesare Prandelli from the managerial position of the Italian national side allowed Antonio Conte to take the chance of coaching a nation; this is something that Conte had never done before in his career.
Conte took up the coaching position of Italy on August 14 of the ongoing year and so far things have been going splendid for the former manager of Juventus as his career in charge of the Italian nation kicked off with a victory over Netherlands in a friendly match and the positive results have continued on with Italy claiming 3 victories in the 3 opening matches of the 2016 Euro’s qualifiers.
Before Antonio Conte was delegated with the coaching role of Italy, he had already finished guiding Juventus to their 3rd consecutive league title and the contributions of Conte are being noticed by FIFA as the football governing authority included Antonio Conte in the shortlist of managers that have been nominated on winning the 2014 Coach of the Year award.
“I am honored to be included as one of those nominated for the 2014 FIFA Coach of the Year award. Because it represents on the one hand recognition for the work, but on the other hand a further incentive to do well at the helm of the national team.
“My candidacy and also that of Carlo Ancelotti also confirms the value of the coaching school at Coverciano, demonstrating that our football is still alive and is able to convey innovative ideas and win.” Antonio Conte commented in a statement which was released through the Italian Football Federation’s website.
Antonio Conte will be competing against: Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola, Diego Simeone and a number of other high profile and highly rated coaches for the FIFA 2014 Coach of the Year silverware.