Lippi to stretch vacation until next summer
Milan (dpa) - Star coach Marcello Lippi has said he intends to continue his break from coaching until next summer, the period of rest he allowed himself after steering Italy to their fourth World Cup, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported Wednesday.
"No Italian side has called me. Only some foreign clubs contacted me," Lippi said. "But I decided to stop for one year. I don't want to take over a team mid-season."
Lippi spoke at a ceremony in Messina, where he received the International Bonino Award from a cultural foundation based in the Sicilian town.
The foundation recognised Lippi's ability in leading Italy to victory at the Germany-hosted World Cup in July, "in a moment when the hopes of a whole country were sinking to the depths of the Italian weaknesses," an obvious reference to the match-fixing scandal that shook Italy's football.
Lippi said he felt proud of receiving an award given in the past to luminaries such as United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. // © 2006 DPA
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