Conte: It’s not a certainty that I will leave Italy after Euro 2016

Date: 13th October 2015 at 3:28pm
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Conte - italy v PortugalItaly coach Antonio Conte acknowledged that he cannot definitely confirm that he has no interest in renewing his contract as Azzurri boss.

The 46-year-old is also looking forward to Euro 2016 as he was previously jealous of coaches given the opportunity to lead their countries at major tournaments.

“The national team will be competitive regardless of whatever happens with my contract,” said Conte to Rai Sport ahead of Italy’s meeting with Norway to decide who tops Group H of the European qualifiers.

“You can learn from history, [Cesare] Prandelli went to the World Cup after signing an extension and then left, while [Marcello] Lippi won the competition, but everybody knew that he would leave.

“You can never say never, I could still be coach for the World Cup in Russia.”

The former Juventus boss also spoke of his excitement ahead of leading Italy in France.

“European Championships and World Cups are experiences that stay with you through life,” Conte added.

“I’ve always envied the coaches at major tournaments, I’ve been there as a player and at the moment you feel that Italy is suffering  behind you and pushing you along.”

The Azzurri coach also looked back on the challenges faced during the qualification campaign.

“There were a lot of moments which were not simple, starting with the injury/non-injury of [Claudio] Marchisio,” Conte went on.

“The challenges we faced have made me stronger, I needed to go through a stormy period.

“We won’t go into Euro 2016 as favourites but we will pose problems for everyone who faces us.”

 

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