Former Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo said on Monday that he is no longer being considered for the role of head coach of the national team, after public backlash over his commercial links to a Russian betting firm led to growing opposition to his appointment.
The 47-year-old World Cup winner had reportedly risen to the front of the queue to succeed Gennaro Gattuso, following the decision by Spanish manager Pep Guardiola to turn down the job.
Yet Pirlo’s name became a focal point for controversy because he serves as a global ambassador for Russian bookmaker Fonbet, with objections voiced by officials within the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and also by Italian lawmakers.
Pirlo responded to the criticism earlier by addressing the matter in a post on Instagram. He said he was informed on Sunday that he had been removed from consideration for the Italy position.
“After learning last night that I am no longer the candidate to lead the Italian national team, I believe it is my duty to clarify a few points,” Pirlo wrote on social media.
“Over the past few days, I have watched with great bitterness the debate that has developed around my name and the possibility of taking on the role of Head Coach of the Italian national team.”
“Throughout my career, first as a player and now as a coach, I have always carried out my work in full compliance with the laws of the countries where I have worked and with the contracts I have signed.”
At present, Pirlo is coaching United FC in the United Arab Emirates Pro League, based in Dubai. He agreed an ambassadorial arrangement with Fonbet in October.
He said his involvement is strictly commercial and sporting rather than anything political.
“To assign a political meaning to that collaboration is to attribute to me beliefs that I have never expressed and that do not belong to me,” he added.
Attention on Pirlo’s association with the company intensified after he appeared together with former Italy team-mate Marco Materazzi at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium during an event staged by Fonbet, drawing fresh criticism as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.
Alexey Paramonov, Russia’s ambassador to Italy, wrote to Pirlo in a message posted on Facebook: “It is saddening to see that, despite your extraordinary contribution to world sport and to Italy’s image abroad, in your own country you are now the subject of ostracism by an establishment that many describe as ‘pseudo-democratic’; a fate that, moreover, has already befallen thousands of Russian athletes, conductors, musicians, artists, and film directors in recent years.”
FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini, the former AC Milan and Italy defender who took up the position this month, will be tasked with identifying the next coach for the national team. The appointment comes as Italy targets qualification for the 2030 World Cup finals, after missing out on the last three global tournaments.
