Pirlo out of the race for the Italy job, FIGC searching for a head coach again
Andrea Pirlo is no longer a candidate to become the new head coach of the Italian national football team, leaving the Italian Football Federation without yet another planned solution for the Azzurri bench. The former Italy international and 2006 world champion confirmed on 27 July 2026 that his candidacy was no longer under consideration, following several days of controversy connected to his commercial partnership with the Russian betting company Fonbet. According to reports in the Italian media, FIGC president Giovanni Malagò concluded that such an association would represent too great a reputational and institutional burden for a person expected to represent the national team. The decision was made at a time when Pirlo was regarded as the leading choice of technical director Paolo Maldini and his adviser Leonardo. The Federation must now urgently open a new phase of negotiations, after Pep Guardiola also rejected the possibility of taking charge of Italy several days earlier.
In a public statement, Pirlo expressed deep disappointment with the course of events and stressed that his relationship with Fonbet had no political dimension. He stated that it was a business and sporting partnership established as part of his professional engagement in the United Arab Emirates and that, throughout his career, he had always acted in accordance with the rules of the countries in which he worked. At the same time, he said that his connection with Italy and the Italian national team did not depend on holding a single position. That explanation, however, did not remove questions about whether a person associated with a betting brand, particularly a company operating in the Russian market, could assume one of the most prominent roles in Italian sport without additional controversy. According to the available information, it was precisely the political and institutional context, rather than a formal obstacle in his contract, that proved decisive in ending his candidacy.
Fonbet partnership became more than a commercial issue
The controversy erupted after the Italian media examined Pirlo's role as Fonbet's global ambassador in greater detail. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Malagò requested access to the documentation governing that relationship, while the former midfielder's legal representatives assessed whether the contract could be terminated without financial consequences. According to the same source, the legal aspect of the partnership was not considered an insurmountable problem, but its public and political impact became much more serious. Fonbet is a major betting company headquartered in Moscow, and its presence in the Russian sporting and business sphere further increased the sensitivity of the case in the context of the war in Ukraine and the European Union's relations with Russia. Italian media also reported that Pirlo had previously attended events in Moscow, which once again attracted the attention of parts of the political and sporting public.
It is important to distinguish between the legal and institutional levels of the case. According to the available reports, no claim was published that Pirlo had broken the law, nor was any official proceeding initiated against him. The key question concerned the suitability of such a commercial relationship for a future national team coach, whose role extends beyond sporting results and includes representing a national institution. Italy's legal framework governing gambling advertising adds further weight to the debate. The so-called Decreto Dignità, adopted in 2018, introduced broad restrictions on advertising and sponsorship connected to betting, and those bans have also been applied to the sports sector for years. Although Pirlo's personal international ambassador contract is not the same as a conventional sponsorship agreement involving an Italian club or federation, that regulatory framework increased the political sensitivity of his candidacy.
Malagò stopped the appointment promoted by Maldini and Leonardo
According to reports by La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera, Pirlo was strongly supported by Paolo Maldini and Leonardo, who recently received key roles in the reorganisation of the FIGC's sporting department. On 11 July 2026, the Federation officially appointed Maldini as technical director and president of Club Italia, while Leonardo became an adviser. Malagò presented their involvement at the time as the beginning of a four-year project intended to cover the senior national team, youth selections, the European Championship and preparations for the 2030 World Cup. In their first public appearances, the new leadership emphasised the need for shared decisions and a unified football philosophy across all national teams. For that reason, the blocking of the first major coaching appointment immediately raised questions about internal relations and the actual distribution of authority.
According to media reports, Maldini viewed Pirlo as a coach who would embrace a long-term project and work within a system that would not be limited solely to the senior national team's short-term results. The two share a long sporting history from Milan and the Italian national team, while Leonardo was also part of the same football circle. However, as FIGC president, Malagò had to consider the broader institutional impact of the appointment. After reviewing the situation, he decided that Pirlo would not be appointed, although efforts were simultaneously made to prevent an open conflict with Maldini. Italian media reported that speculation also emerged about Maldini's possible resignation, but no such move had been officially confirmed as of 27 July.
The case demonstrates how much the process of selecting a national team coach has changed compared with periods when sporting assessment was almost the only decisive factor. Commercial contracts, public appearances, relationships with international partners, potential conflicts of interest and the political consequences of an appointment are now all analysed. Italy's head coach is not merely the coach of the first team, but also one of the most recognisable faces of national sport, which is why the Federation is attempting to avoid a situation in which every future appearance would be accompanied by questions unrelated to the pitch. In Pirlo's case, the reputational risk was judged to be greater than the benefits of quickly concluding the search. In doing so, however, the FIGC entered a new decision-making crisis only a few weeks after changing its management structure.
Guardiola had previously rejected the Italian offer
Pirlo was not the new technical leadership's first choice. According to reports by beIN Sports, UPI and the Italian media, the FIGC had previously contacted Pep Guardiola, who left Manchester City after ten years and decided to take an extended break from coaching. Guardiola rejected the possibility of taking charge of Italy, citing personal reasons, a desire to rest and spend time with his family. His response forced Maldini and Leonardo to turn to a more available candidate who would be prepared to begin the new cycle immediately. Pirlo then moved to the forefront, but the entire process collapsed within only a few days.
Guardiola's candidacy illustrated how ambitious the new leadership's initial intentions were. He is a coach who shaped European club football through his work at Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester City, but appointing him would have required an exceptionally large financial and organisational package. Following his rejection, Pirlo represented a significantly different profile: an Italian football icon, a man with deep knowledge of the national team and a coach who had not yet built a comparable career on the touchline. That difference prompted a debate over whether the FIGC was looking for a proven major name or someone who would develop alongside the new system. Now, after both options have failed, the Federation must redefine its criteria and list of candidates.
Pirlo's coaching career has not yet reached the level of his playing career
As a player, Andrea Pirlo holds the status of one of the most important figures in Italian football this century. He made 116 appearances for the national team, was a key member of the side that won the 2006 World Cup and claimed numerous domestic and international trophies with Milan and Juventus. His ability to organise play, composure under pressure and precision from set pieces turned him into a symbol of a football era. Precisely because of that reputation, his candidacy carried strong emotional and symbolic value. However, the appointment of a national team coach must also be based on results achieved on the touchline, and Pirlo's coaching record has so far been considerably more uneven.
Pirlo began his senior coaching career at Juventus in 2020, immediately taking charge of one of the most demanding benches in Europe. He won the Italian Cup and Super Cup, but the team lost the league title and his tenure ended after one season. He later worked at Turkey's Fatih Karagümrük, then at Sampdoria, where he failed to achieve the expected return of the club towards the top, and in the United Arab Emirates. His supporters believe that he still has the potential to develop a modern playing philosophy and that he could progress with the support of an experienced federation structure. Critics, on the other hand, point out that his results to date do not provide sufficient certainty for a national team undergoing a profound sporting rebuild.
Italy searching for a way out of a prolonged results crisis
The search for a new head coach is taking place at a particularly sensitive moment for Italian football. The FIGC appointed Gennaro Gattuso as Luciano Spalletti's successor in June 2025, but by the summer of 2026 a new cycle of management and technical leadership had begun. In July, the Federation announced that Italy had fallen to 15th place in the FIFA rankings, further illustrating its drift away from the positions traditionally expected of the four-time world champions. The public debate is dominated by the need to rebuild the senior team, establish stronger links with the youth selections and create a clearer development model. Maldini and Leonardo were brought into the Club Italia system with precisely that mandate.
Italian football has undergone sudden changes of direction several times in recent years. Winning the European Championship in 2021 did not lead to a stable long-term cycle, while absences from major tournaments and changes of head coach disrupted continuity. For that reason, the next appointment will not be viewed merely as the selection of a man for a few matches, but as a test of the new management's credibility. The Federation must find a candidate capable of accepting a developmental role, coping with enormous public pressure and delivering results in the short term at the same time. After the Guardiola and Pirlo cases, the margin for error has become even smaller.
Conte and Mancini mentioned again, but without official confirmation
The names of Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini, two former Italy coaches with experience at the highest level, have reappeared in the Italian media. Conte managed Italy from 2014 to 2016 and is known for his intense work, clear tactical structure and demands towards management. Mancini took charge of the national team in 2018, won the European Championship, but unexpectedly left the position in 2023 and soon took charge of Saudi Arabia. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Maldini's earlier assessment did not favour those options: Conte did not fit the envisioned long-term model, while the circumstances of Mancini's departure remained an obstacle to his return. Nevertheless, after Pirlo's exit from the race, the Federation may reconsider candidates who had previously been lower on the list.
At present, there is no official confirmation of who the new favourite is. Malagò stated on 27 July that he was working on a solution and that the new head coach should be known very soon, but the FIGC had not presented a final decision by the time this article was published. Such urgency is understandable because of the need to plan the national team's upcoming gatherings, but an accelerated process carries the risk of further misunderstandings. After one candidate rejected the job and another was eliminated following an institutional assessment, the Federation must align its sporting, legal and reputational criteria more clearly before beginning final negotiations. Otherwise, the next appointment could also become the subject of controversy before the first match is played.
Pirlo's statement created the impression that he was not voluntarily withdrawing from football, but was accepting a decision made outside a purely sporting framework. His explanation did not change the Federation leadership's conclusion, but it opened a broader question about the boundary between the private commercial engagements of sporting stars and the public duties they later seek to assume. The FIGC's priority is now to find a head coach who will not further deepen disagreements between the president and the technical department. For Maldini, meanwhile, the case represents the first major test of his authority only a few weeks after his appointment. The Italian national team therefore continues to wait for the man expected to lead its sporting rebuild, while the struggle for control over the direction of that rebuild is unfolding just as intensely off the pitch as it is on it.
Sources:
- Italian Football Federation (FIGC) - official announcement on the appointment of Paolo Maldini as technical director and president of Club Italia and Leonardo's role as adviser (link)
- Italian Football Federation (FIGC) - presentation of the new technical project and the shared goals of Malagò, Maldini and Leonardo (link)
- La Gazzetta dello Sport - report on the decision that Pirlo would not become head coach following a review of his partnership with Fonbet (link)
- La Gazzetta dello Sport - information on the examination of Pirlo's contract with Fonbet and the institutional concerns preceding the decision (link)
- La Gazzetta dello Sport - information on the legal possibility of terminating the ambassador contract without a contractual penalty (link)
- Corriere della Sera - reports on Pirlo's statement, Fonbet and the political and institutional background of the case (link)
- beIN Sports - report on Guardiola's rejection of the offer to take charge of the Italian national team (link)
- Italian Football Federation (FIGC) - official information on Gennaro Gattuso and Italy's previous head coaches (link)