Pirlo Loses Italy Coaching Race Over Russian Betting Ties

Andrea Pirlo has announced that he is no longer under consideration for the Italy coaching position after several days of criticism concerning his association with a Russian gambling firm.

Although the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) had not officially confirmed him as the next national coach, his appointment had been widely regarded as nearly certain.

However, a number of Italian politicians challenged the FIGC’s expected decision over the weekend, pointing to Pirlo’s appointment as a worldwide ambassador for Russia’s Fonbet in October last year.

The gambling operator has backed sporting activities featuring veterans of Moscow’s conflict in Ukraine and arranged events in Russia where Pirlo appeared with individuals known for supporting the Kremlin.

“A person who currently promotes Russia, or has done so since 2022, should not occupy a national position,” said Carlo Calenda of the centrist Azione party.

“After being informed last night that I was no longer being considered for the Italy job, I believed it was necessary to explain several points,” Pirlo, the former Internazionale, Juventus, AC Milan and Italy midfielder, wrote on Instagram on Monday morning.

“I have followed the discussion surrounding my name in recent days with considerable disappointment,” he said, adding that every “professional partnership” connected to his coaching role at United FC in Dubai had been “strictly commercial and sporting”.

“Interpreting that partnership as political attributes views to me that I have never stated and do not hold,” Pirlo wrote.

Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, said over the weekend that Italian football urgently required “a transformation in culture, ethics and management”, while arguing that selecting Pirlo would move it “in precisely the wrong direction”.

Pirlo did receive backing from Russia’s ambassador in Rome, Aleksey Paramonov, who described it as “distressing” that, despite the former player’s remarkable service to international sport and Italy’s reputation overseas, he was now being excluded in his homeland.

Attention surrounding Pirlo’s relationship with Fonbet and Russia increased last spring after he attended a company event in Moscow, where he and former teammate Marco Materazzi signed autographs at Luzhniki Stadium.

Shaman, a nationalist pop singer aligned with the Kremlin who has repeatedly endorsed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, also performed during the occasion.

At the time, Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was removed from the Winter Olympics because his helmet displayed athletes killed during the conflict, observed that the Luzhniki gathering occurred on the same day as a major Russian assault against Ukraine.

Heraskevych also condemned Pirlo for appearing alongside Russian footballer Artem Dzyuba, who declared on social media after the conflict began that he was “proud to be Russian”.

“It is painful to watch the heroes of your youth lose their moral integrity,” Heraskevych said.

The dispute could now place newly appointed FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini under pressure. Maldini has held the position only since 11 July, and reports in Italy suggest he could leave following the unsuccessful attempt to appoint Pirlo.

Maldini and his adviser Leonardo, another of his former AC Milan teammates, were assigned to recruit a coach capable of leading Italy through an autumn Nations League group featuring France, Belgium and Turkey before pursuing qualification for Euro 2028.

Italian football has faced a period of serious reflection since the national side missed out on a third World Cup earlier this year. A penalty-shootout defeat against Bosnia-Herzegovina in April resulted in Gennaro Gattuso resigning as coach and prompted changes within the FIGC leadership.

Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti were both contacted earlier this month before Pirlo emerged as an option, but neither approach succeeded.

Reports in Italy indicate that Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini are among the other candidates now being assessed. Mancini guided Italy to the Euro 2020 title but later failed to reach the World Cup in Qatar before abruptly leaving the national team to take charge of Saudi Arabia.