Pirlo is out of a career in Italian football after falling foul of links to a Russian betting firm

Andrea Pirlo has said he is no longer a candidate to coach Italy’s national team following days of controversy over his relationship with a Russian betting firm.

His appointment as Italy’s next coach has not yet been confirmed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) but is considered certain.

But at the weekend several Italian politicians criticized the FIGC’s choice, noting that Pirlo, 47, took on the role of global ambassador for Russia’s Fonbet last October.

The betting company has sponsored several sporting events involving veterans of Moscow’s war in Ukraine and organized events in Russia where Pirlo appeared alongside pro-Kremlin figures.

“Anyone who promotes or promotes Russia after 2022 should not hold a national office,” said Carlo Calenda of the Azione focus group.

“After learning last night that I am no longer with the Italian national team, I feel it is my duty to clarify certain aspects,” wrote Pirlo, a former Internazionale, Juventus, AC Milan and Azzurri midfielder, in an Instagram post on Monday morning.

“For the past few days I have watched, with great sadness, the debate surrounding my name,” he said, adding that any “professional cooperation” he made in his position as coach of United FC in Dubai was “purely for commercial and sporting reasons”.

“To give a political meaning to that partnership is to give me beliefs that I have never expressed and that are not my own,” wrote Pirlo.

Pina Picierno, vice-president of the European Parliament, said at the weekend that Italian football “desperately needs a change in culture, behavior and management” but that Pirlo’s selection “goes in the exact opposite direction”.

On the contrary, Pirlo was given the support of the Russian ambassador in Rome, Aleksey Paramonov, who said it was “sad” to comment that, “despite the hard work.” [Pirlo’s] a wonderful contribution to world sports and to the image of Italy in the world, in your country, now you are marginalized”.

The scrutiny of Pirlo and Fonbet’s relationship with Russia intensified last spring, when he took part in a Fonbet event in Moscow, where he and former team-mate Marco Materazzi signed autographs at the Luzhniki Stadium.

Nationalist pro-Kremlin pop singer Shaman, who has repeatedly voiced his support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, also performed at the event.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian skeleton skater Vladyslav Heraskevych – who was kicked out of the Winter Olympics because of his helmet depicting fellow athletes killed in battle – noted that the Luzhniki event took place on the same day as a major Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Heraskevych also criticized Pirlo for appearing next to Russian footballer Artem Dzyuba, who after the war in Ukraine posted on social media that he was “proud to be Russian”.

“It’s sad to see children’s fairy tales turn into immoral people,” said Heraskevych.

The debate now threatens to overshadow FIGC’s new technical director Paolo Maldini, who has been in office since July 11 and who Italian media say may resign over Pirlo’s failed appointment.

Maldini and his mentor, former AC Milan team-mate Leonardo, have been tasked with finding a new coach to navigate Italy through a United Nations group consisting of France, Belgium and Turkey in the autumn and try to qualify for Euro 2028.

The Italian football community is facing many soul-searching challenges after the team failed to qualify for their third World Cup earlier this year. Italy’s penalty shootout loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina in April led to the resignation of coach Gennaro Gattuso and a reshuffle of the FIGC echelons.

Earlier in the month, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti were both unsuccessful ahead of Pirlo.

According to Italian media, some of the names currently being considered are Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini – who led Italy to victory in Euro 2020 before failing to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar and unceremoniously resigning from Italy’s bench and coaching Saudi Arabia.