Andrea Pirlo’s expected appointment as Italy head coach has run into political resistance over his commercial ties to a Russian betting company.
The 47 year old World Cup winner had emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Gennaro Gattuso after former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola turned down the role. Key figures within the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and members of the Italian parliament are now weighing the fallout from Pirlo’s position as a global ambassador for Russian bookmaker Fonbet. The FIGC declined to comment when approached, though a source close to the matter said Pirlo’s connections to Russia were being evaluated and that the issue remained unresolved.
Pirlo, currently in charge of United Arab Emirates Pro League side United FC in Dubai, signed the ambassadorship deal with Fonbet in October. Scrutiny intensified after he appeared alongside former Italy teammate Marco Materazzi at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium for an event organised by the bookmaker, a visit that drew criticism after commentators pointed out it coincided with aerial attacks on Ukraine. Pirlo has defended his involvement, insisting his presence at the event was strictly non political.
The row complicates the early days of Giovanni Malago’s tenure as FIGC president, arriving only weeks after his election to oversee a restructuring of Italian football following the national team’s third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup. Pirlo retains the backing of newly appointed technical director Paolo Maldini, but the controversy has generated significant friction among politicians, several of whom argue that a commercial agreement with a Russian gambling operator sits uneasily with leading the national side.
Pina Picierno, a vice president of the European Parliament, was among the most pointed critics. “After yet another defeat and another missed World Cup qualification, Italian football desperately needed a cultural, ethical and managerial revolution. The choice of Andrea Pirlo goes in the exact opposite direction,” she wrote on social media.
Ignazio La Russa, head of the Italian Senate and a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party, also voiced scepticism. “I respect Malago, Leonardo and Maldini, in that order, and so I didn’t immediately make any statements about Pirlo as Italy coach, also out of respect for them,” he told news agency ANSA on Saturday. “I am speaking only because you called me. God help us. Of course I am an Italy fan and Pirlo was a great champion, but as a coach, it is a leap in the dark.”
Carlo Calenda, leader of the centrist Azione party, went further still. “Anyone who is or has been promoting Russia after 2022 should not hold national office,” he said.
