The Coppa Italiana weekend has served to anticipate some of the movements that could take place this summer in the European teams. Corriere Della Sera journalist Daniele Labanti assures that Real Madrid and Barcelona would be interested in Sergio Scariolo, current coach of Virtus de Bologna and Spanish coach.
“It is rumored that it will be a summer of waltzes for the coaches with Jasikevicius leaving Barcelona and Chus Mateo from Madrid, both interested in Scariolo, who has another year on his contract with Bologna,” says this Italian outlet. The white team would be the main one interested in taking over the services of the Italian coach, especially after the failure in the Cup, where they lost in the semifinals against Unicaja (82-93). The Andalusian team, champion of the Copa del Rey, had also beaten Barça in the quarterfinals (87-89).
Landing in Madrid will not be easy. First, because he still has one more year on his contract with his current club, Virtus, but mainly because of his commitment to the Spanish team, with whom he has signed until 2024. ACB regulations prevent a coach from simultaneously directing a Spanish club and the national team, so he should terminate his contract at the gates of two important sporting events such as the 2023 World Cup that takes place this summer, and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games next year.
Although complicated, if this operation is confirmed, Scariolo would experience his second spell at Real Madrid, which he already managed between 1999 and 2002, with a poor balance of just one league title (2000). The Italian coach has grown and, at 61 years of age, he is in full swing and with a record that includes great successes with the absolute Spanish team, with which he has won a World Cup (2019), a silver in London 2012, a bronze in Rio 2016 and four Europeans (2009, 2011, 2015 and 2022).
In the case of Barcelona, ??Corriere Della Sera also points to the departure of Sarunas Jasikevicius, whose contract ends on June 30. Although he acknowledges the interest of the Blaugrana club in Scariolo, he assures that the priority option for the Catalan entity would be the return of Xavi Pascual. Between 2008 and 2016 he led Barça, becoming one of the club’s most successful coaches with 19 titles, including the 2010 Euroleague. In addition, the coach’s situation would be favorable to a change of scenery. Despite the fact that he has two more years on his contract with Zenit St. Petersburg, the exclusion of Russian teams from all international competitions could facilitate Pascual’s decision.
Despite this information coming from Italy, sources consulted by La Vanguardia assured after the KO in the Copa del Rey that confidence in Jasikevicius continued to be “total” and that the intention of both was to extend the contract of the Lithuanian coach. In fact, they acknowledged that the contacts are already underway and that various conversations have taken place between the club and the manager’s agent.
