Andrea Pirlo withdraws from the race for the Italian national team coach position.

Italy's national football team rebuilding process has suffered a major setback. Legendary player Andrea Pirlo has officially announced his withdrawal from the race for the Italian national team coaching position due to a huge controversy surrounding his alleged business dealings with a Russian betting company.

Following closely behind, Paolo Maldini, the key executive in charge of rebuilding the Italian national team, and his advisor Leonardo both resigned, plunging the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) into a serious governance crisis.

Previously, Pirlo was considered the undisputed choice for the head coach position. However, after his appointment as the global ambassador for the Russian betting company Fonbet last year was revealed, he faced strong resistance and criticism from the Italian political circles. Several political figures pointed out that the betting company was linked to specific political stances and believed that his ambassadorial role was seriously inconsistent with the image of the national team coach.

The stalled search for a head coach triggered a management upheaval. Italian football association technical director Paolo Maldini and former Brazilian international Leonardo resigned after only 16 days in office. After failing to qualify for the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time, Italy had pinned its hopes on Maldini to restructure the team. Their sudden departure left Italian football, already at its lowest point in nearly 40 years, without a clear strategy for selecting a new coach and rebuilding.

Faced with this predicament, newly appointed FA president Giovanni Malagò is caught in a dilemma. After Pep Guardiola explicitly rejected the offer, the FA had to urgently reassess its head coaching candidates, with renowned coaches such as Roberto Mancini, Thiago Motta, and Antonio Conte returning to the potential shortlist.

Image source: Internet/Sky Sports official website