Andrea Pirlo has confirmed he is no longer in contention to become Italy’s next head coach following days of political backlash over his association with Russian betting company Fonbet.
The former Italy midfielder had been widely tipped to replace Julian Nagelsmann, although the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) had not officially announced his appointment.
Pirlo’s candidacy came under intense scrutiny after several Italian politicians questioned his suitability for the role because of his position as a global ambassador for Fonbet, a role he accepted in October last year.
The betting company has sponsored sporting events involving veterans of Russia’s war in Ukraine and organised promotional activities featuring Pirlo alongside pro-Kremlin figures.
Taking to Instagram, the 47-year-old confirmed he was no longer in the running.
“After learning last night that I am no longer a candidate for the Italian national team, I feel it is my duty to clarify some aspects,” Pirlo wrote.
He insisted his relationship with Fonbet was purely professional and rejected suggestions that it reflected any political stance.
“Every professional collaboration I undertook as coach of United FC in Dubai was exclusively of a commercial and sporting nature. To assign a political meaning to that collaboration means ascribing to me beliefs which I have never expressed and that do not belong to me.”
Opposition to Pirlo’s appointment grew over the weekend, with Italian politicians arguing that anyone associated with Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine should not hold a national role.
European Parliament vice-president Pina Picierno described the potential appointment as moving Italian football in “the exact opposite direction” of the ethical and cultural renewal it needed.
Pirlo, meanwhile, received public backing from Russia’s ambassador to Italy, Aleksey Paramonov, who criticised the treatment of the 2006 World Cup winner and said it was regrettable that he was being “ostracized” in his own country.
