Pirlo axed as Italy coach contender as Maldini and Leonardo quit FIGC in chaos

Andrea Pirlo has confirmed he is no longer in the running to become Italy’s next head coach, after days of political backlash over his commercial ties to a Russian betting company plunged the Italian federation into disarray. The row has already claimed two senior figures at the FIGC, with technical director Paolo Maldini and his adviser Leonardo both resigning within hours of the controversy escalating at the weekend.

Pirlo’s appointment had not been formally confirmed by the Italian federation but was widely treated as a done deal before politicians began raising objections over his role as a global ambassador for Fonbet, a Russian betting firm, since last October. The company has sponsored sporting events involving veterans of Moscow’s war in Ukraine and has staged events in Russia at which Pirlo appeared alongside figures close to the Kremlin.

Political pressure mounts

Carlo Calenda, leader of the centrist Azione party, was among those who spoke out against Pirlo’s candidacy, arguing that “anyone who is or has been promoting Russia after 2022 should not hold national office”. Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, said Italian football “desperately needed a cultural, ethical and managerial revolution” but that turning to Pirlo “goes in the exact opposite direction”.

The 47-year-old, who currently coaches UAE side Dubai United, hit back at the criticism in an Instagram post on Monday morning. “After learning last night that I am no longer a candidate for the Italian national team, I feel it is my duty to clarify some aspects,” Pirlo wrote, adding that he had watched “with great bitterness” the debate surrounding his name.

He insisted his professional dealings in his capacity as a coach were “exclusively of a commercial and sporting nature” and rejected any suggestion of political intent. “To assign a political meaning to that collaboration means ascribing to me beliefs which I have never expressed and that do not belong to me,” he said.

Russia’s ambassador to Rome, Aleksey Paramonov, offered his support to Pirlo, describing it as “saddening” that the former midfielder was, in his words, being “ostracized” in his own country despite what he called his “extraordinary contribution to world sport and to Italy’s image around the world”.

Maldini and Leonardo’s exit deepens the crisis

The fallout claimed two more high-profile casualties when it emerged, first reported by Sky Sport Italia, that Maldini and Leonardo had decided to step down from their FIGC roles. Maldini had only been appointed technical director just over two weeks earlier, tasked alongside his former AC Milan teammate and fellow ex-international Leonardo with identifying a new head coach and rebuilding the national side.

The pair’s departure leaves Italian football searching once again for both a permanent coach and a leadership structure at the federation, at a moment when the Azzurri are still trying to recover from three consecutive failures to qualify for the World Cup. The FIGC has not yet named a fresh shortlist of candidates for the vacant post, leaving the timeline for appointing Italy’s next manager unclear.

For a nation with such a rich footballing pedigree, the sight of a World Cup great like Maldini walking away within a fortnight of taking charge underlines just how deep the turmoil at the top of Italian football now runs.

Sources

• dailymail.com
• BBC Sport

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.