The Technical Sector has confirmed the latest coaches to earn their UEFA Pro licences after passing the final examinations of the Coverciano Master course.

The UEFA Pro licence is the highest coaching qualification and allows holders to take charge of any team in Europe, including those competing in the continent’s leading leagues and club competitions. The participants completed a season-long programme from September to June, combining classroom and on-pitch sessions at the Federal Technical Centre with five study visits to leading clubs in Italy and abroad: Como, AC Milan, Cagliari, Genoa and Racing Santander.

Three candidates finished joint top of the class with the maximum score of 110/110: current Virtus Entella head coach Andrea Chiappella; Francesco Magnanelli, a member of Allegri’s coaching staff at Napoli; and Alexandre Nizelik, who previously worked with Spalletti at Zenit St Petersburg and has spent the past two years at Fiorentina.

Alongside oral exams covering the course syllabus - football technique and tactics, fitness training, psychology and communication - participants were also required to write and defend a thesis. The examination board singled out Nizelik’s final paper for particular praise.

The newly qualified UEFA Pro coaches include several familiar names from Italian football and beyond, such as Franck Ribery, Samir Handanovic and current Cesena head coach Alessandro Diamanti. The list also features coaches who sat their final examinations after attending an earlier course, including Inter assistant coach Aleksandar Kolarov; Empoli head coach Guido Pagliuca; Renato Baldi, match analyst for Mancini’s senior Italy side; and Matteo Barella, technical assistant with Italy Under-17s.

The full list is as follows:

Matteo Andreoletti, Renato Baldi*, Matteo Barella*, Simone Bentivoglio, Matteo Cecchetti, Andrea Chiappella, Cristiano Del Grosso, Vikash Dhorasoo, Alessandro Diamanti, Samir Handanovic, Cosimo Inguscio*, Aleksandar Kolarov*, Francesco Magnanelli, Alexandre Nizelik, Guido Pagliuca*, Franck Ribery, Mattia Scala, Andrea Tedesco and Roberto Vitiello.

*Attended a previous course