Fabio Cannavaro has secured his first coaching position in Serie A with struggling Udinese, while Gabriele Cioffi has been dismissed.

Fabio Cannavaro, the former Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner, has been appointed as the new head coach of Udinese. He has been given the challenging task of saving the struggling Serie A team from relegation after Gabriele Cioffi was sacked.

Cioffi, who was re-appointed for a second spell with the club in October, failed to turn things around for Udinese. With only four wins from 23 matches, the team finds itself hovering just above the relegation zone.

Udinese’s recent 1-0 defeat to Hellas Verona, who are also in danger of going down, has left them outside of the bottom three on goal difference. However, they still have a game in hand over the teams below them.

That game is against AS Roma, which was abandoned due to a health scare for Giallorossi defender Evan Ndicka. The remaining 19 minutes plus stoppage time will be played out in Udine on Thursday, marking an unorthodox debut for Cannavaro.

This is Cannavaro’s first coaching role in Serie A, and he will be hoping to kick-start his career in Italy after a disappointing stint with Benevento last season. He was sacked in February 2023 as the team struggled with relegation in Serie B.

Before his time in Italy, Cannavaro focused his coaching efforts in China, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. He achieved success with titles at Al-Ahli, Guangzhou Evergrande, and Tianjin Quanjian, and also had a brief period in charge of China’s national team.

Cannavaro’s first full match in charge of Udinese will be against Bologna, who are vying for UEFA Champions League qualification, this Sunday. The team will then face Napoli, Lecce, Empoli, and Frosinone to round off their campaign.