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The key word is continuity. The technical structures of Italy's men's futsal national teams have been renewed, ushering in a new three-year cycle. On 14 June 2024, Salvo Samperi became the ninth head coach in the history of Italy's futsal national team. His first phase of work concluded last February at the European Championship in Slovenia, where Italy returned to playing a knockout match at the final stage of an international competition, the quarter-final against Spain, for the first time in 10 years.
The new three-year project will provide fresh momentum and look towards the future, with particular focus on the 2028 World Cup, whose host nation has yet to be announced. The project will encompass the entire national-team pathway, from Samperi's senior side to Vanni Pedrini's Under-19 team. The work set in motion six months ago will continue, with the head coach defining the technical direction, training methodology and guidelines, which will be shared across all national teams. Over the next three years, alongside the ambition of competing at the highest international level, the foundations for the future will be laid, with particular attention paid to young players and futsal players developed in Italy.
RANIERI. Claudio Ranieri, Club Italia's Technical Director and President, commented on the renewal: "Club Italia is like a great stable, containing racing cars that need to be put in the best possible conditions to compete and perform at the highest level. Futsal is one of those cars, and the work we have undertaken together with the Futsal Division is moving in exactly that direction." Ranieri also stressed: "We have chosen to continue work that was already underway and has produced its first results. I once again wish Samperi and the entire structure the very best of luck in their important task of bringing Italy back to the World Cup. It is an objective that must be pursued by placing players developed in Italy at the heart of the project and involving them more than in the past."
CASTIGLIA. "The decision to extend our relationship with head coach Samperi for three years is another concrete sign of the effectiveness of the shared purpose that today unites the various federal bodies. It also confirms the central role of the Futsal Division and its Technical Area in supporting Club Italia as it plans the future of our national teams.
"The Division is therefore once again fully central to the national teams' strategic decisions, thanks to an increasingly strong and productive collaboration with Club Italia. I would like to thank President Malagò and Club Italia President Ranieri for their constant availability and for helping to develop this shared path, in which every component contributes its expertise, vision and sense of responsibility towards the common goal of building an increasingly ambitious and brighter future for Italian futsal. Samperi has demonstrated, including through courageous decisions, that he wants to bring about a decisive change of pace, fully supported by the Division: building a younger national team, developing new talents and guiding them through a path of technical and sporting growth, without being influenced solely by immediate results. From this perspective, the three-year renewal represents a choice of great responsibility and, at the same time, great trust. It gives the head coach the time needed to consolidate his technical project, work with young players and build solid foundations for the future of the national team. On behalf of myself and the entire Division, I wish head coach Samperi and his staff every success in their work."
THE FIRST SELECTIONS. The 2028 FIFA Futsal World Cup is the major objective for the next two years. Qualification will begin in October, with the Azzurri's first match against Georgia, with Kosovo also in their Main Round group, scheduled for 20 October in Rende, Calabria. The first training camp of the season for the Italy futsal national team will take place from 7 to 10 September at Rome's Giulio Onesti Olympic Training Centre. For the occasion, Samperi has called up 18 players, with the return of Attilio Arillo – who has made 29 appearances for Italy, the last of which came in November 2024 – standing out, alongside the particularly notable call-up of Luca Ferraro, Lazio's 2009-born youngster.
THE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jurij Bellobuono (Sandro Abate), Carlos Dalcin (L84 Torino), Leonardo Politano (Came Treviso), Generoso Di Stanio (Feldi Eboli).
Outfield players: Enrico Donin (Came Treviso), Yamoul Fahd (Came Treviso), Attilio Arillo (Napoli), Carlos Del Mestre (Sporting Sala Consilina), Julio De Oliveira (L84 Torino), Giuliano Fortini (L84 Torino), Francesco Liberti (L84 Torino), Matheus Barichello (Benevento), Carmelo Musumeci (Meta Catania), Michele Podda (Meta Catania), Giovanni Pulvirenti (Meta Catania), Maurizio Silvestri (Meta Catania), Ivan Cutruneo (Roma 1927), Luca Ferraro (Lazio C5).
Staff: Head coach: Salvo Samperi; Secretary: Fabrizio Del Principe; Assistant coach: Vanni Pedrini; Fitness coach: Domenico Castello; Goalkeeping coach: Gennaro Varriale; Nutritionist: Francesco Leva; Physiotherapists: Valerio Esposito and Emiliano Diaferia.