Overview
- Andrea Pirlo confirmed on Monday that he is no longer a candidate to become Italy’s national coach after talks with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) were halted.
- The decision followed revelations that Pirlo serves as a global ambassador for Fonbet, a Russian sports-betting company linked in reports to businessman Sergey Lomakin and to the Dubai club Pirlo recently managed.
- Pirlo and his lawyers say the Fonbet contract can reportedly be rescinded immediately without penalty, but FIGC officials cited the political and reputational fallout as the reason to end negotiations.
- Senior politicians and European figures publicly criticized the link, saying promotional events in Moscow and the partnership risked normalizing Russia during the war in Ukraine and damaged the federation’s image, which has already been weakened by recent sporting failures.
- The collapse of the deal has renewed questions about FIGC leadership—including pressure on sporting director Paolo Maldini—and pushed other names such as Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte back into consideration as the federation restarts the coach search.