Andrea Pirlo Dropped from Italy Coach Candidate List Due to Controversy Over Russian Betting Sponsor

Andrea Pirlo, who was considered a strong candidate to take the helm of the Italian national football team to revive Italian football—which has failed to qualify for three consecutive World Cup finals since the 2014 Brazil World Cup—has ultimately been excluded from the shortlist due to controversy surrounding his ties to a betting company.

Sports media outlet ESPN reported that "Pirlo has been removed from the list of candidates for the Italy national team head coach position amid political controversy surrounding his sponsorship agreement with the Russian betting company 'Fonbet', and Paolo Maldini, the technical director at the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) who spearheaded the appointment of Pirlo, has also decided to step down."

After failing to qualify for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup finals, the Italian Football Federation held a new presidential election and formed an executive body led by President Giovanni Malagò before setting out to appoint a new manager.

Legendary Italian defender Paolo Maldini, serving as the technical director, spearheaded the managerial appointment process. Earlier this month, he offered the managerial post to former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and current Brazil national team manager Carlo Ancelotti, but both turned it down.

Subsequently, Pirlo, who has been managing UAE club Dubai United since last year, emerged as a leading candidate. However, the problem arose when it was revealed that Pirlo had signed an ambassador contract with the Russian betting company Fonbet.

Fonbet has sponsored various sporting events attended by Russian soldiers who participated in the war in Ukraine, and Pirlo even attended a Fonbet event held in Moscow, Russia, to host a fan signing event.

As Italian political circles, which have supported Ukraine, raised voices of opposition by pointing out the ties between Pirlo and Fonbet, he was ultimately excluded from the candidate pool.

Pirlo later expressed his frustration through his social media account, stating, "My collaboration with Fonbet was of a purely sporting nature in my capacity as manager of Dubai United," and adding, "To attribute political meaning to that collaboration is to impose beliefs upon me that I have never expressed nor belonged to."

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Choi Kang-san | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.