Andrea Pirlo’s potential appointment as Italy’s national team coach is in jeopardy due to an Italian Football Federation (FIGC) investigation into his commercial ambassador role with the Russian betting company Fonbet.
FIGC President Giovanni Malagò temporarily halted Pirlo’s near-finalized contract to evaluate his ties to Fonbet, a Russian-capital gambling firm whose operations are banned in Italy.
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High-profile figures, including European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno and Senate President Ignazio La Russa, criticized the choice, calling ties to a Russian gambling operator incompatible with leading the national team.
Reacting to the development, Pirlo, in a statement, stated that the professional collaboration that has been the subject of the recent controversy arises within the context of my working experience in the United Arab Emirates and is exclusively commercial and sporting in nature.
“In recent days I have watched with great bitterness the debate that has developed around my name and the possibility of taking on the role of head coach of the Italian national team,” he wrote.
“Out of respect for the institutions, the Federation, and all the people involved, I have so far chosen to remain silent. However, I believe it is necessary to clarify a few points.
“Throughout my career, first as a player and now as a coach, I have always carried out my work in full compliance with the laws of the countries in which I have worked and with the contracts I have signed.
“The professional collaboration that has been the subject of the recent controversy arises within the context of my working experience in the United Arab Emirates and is exclusively commercial and sporting in nature.
“Attributing a political meaning to that collaboration means attributing to me beliefs that I have never expressed and that do not belong to me.
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“I wish to thank Maldini and Leonardo for the esteem and trust they have shown me. I know their competence, their seriousness, and the love they have always dedicated to Italian football.
“I regret that a purely sporting choice was so quickly dragged into a public confrontation that ended up attributing to me meanings and intentions that do not belong to me.
“Love for Italy does not depend on a job title. It is part of my history, of my identity, and it will continue to accompany me, always.”
