Inter president says Mancini will stay

FC Internazionale Milano coach Roberto Mancini will stay on next season after discussions with president Massimo Moratti, reversing the surprise announcement of his decision to step down at the end of the campaign.

Change of heart
Mancini told a press conference after last night's UEFA Champions League exit by Liverpool FC that his fourth season with Inter would be his last, despite a contract running until 2012. However, Moratti revealed on Wednesday evening: "I had a talk with Mancini, and he told me he wants to stay at Inter next season and for the length of his contract. He wants to win the Champions League with Inter next season. The situation is completely different to the one that was recounted to me and to the team this morning." 

Honours
Mancini added on Inter's official website: "No one more than president Moratti, all the Inter fans, and our entire squad knows what it feels like to miss out on an objective we all wanted so badly. I hope that people involved in football understand the bitterness and the anger in those delicate moments. A coach is always the reference point of a group, but this group also feeds on even deeper emotions. After the match, the heart of Roberto Mancini the coach came out. I thank president Massimo Moratti for having given me strength, for understanding the moment and having understood me. I'm sorry for any misunderstanding." Mancini has been Inter coach since July 2004 and has won two Scudetti, two Coppa Italians and two Italian Super Cups, ending the club's long wait for domestic silverware.