Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. They then watched it from home as the rest of the world played on.
And now, as they attempt to rebuild, the process has collapsed into exactly the kind of embarrassing farce that explains how they ended up in this mess in the first place.
Andrea Pirlo has been ruled out of the Italy head coach position due to his association with a Russian sports betting platform, which led to significant political pressure on FIGC president Giovanni Malago to block his appointment.
Pirlo confirmed in a statement that he was informed late on Sunday night that he was no longer in the running for the job.
Pirlo is currently under contract with Dubai club United FC while also serving as a global brand ambassador for Russian betting provider Fonbet.
He stressed that the collaboration was “exclusively commercial and sporting in nature” – but after reviewing the contract documents, the federation leadership around Malago reached a different conclusion.
The federal lawyer spent the weekend examining the contract and found it was not directly tied to his role as manager of United FC, which is owned by Sergey Lomakin, but was rather a personal partnership.
FIGC’s priority candidate was Pep Guardiola, who rejected the opportunity. Carlo Ancelotti also turned it down.
That left Pirlo as the option backed by technical director Paolo Maldini – himself only appointed a fortnight ago – and his advisor Leonardo.
Malago’s own preferred candidate had been Roberto Mancini, who had resigned from Al-Sadd in June and was ready for a second stint in charge. Mancini is reported to feel “abandoned” by the federation and is furious that he was passed over.
Malago picking up the pieces
Now Malago is left picking up the pieces.
“The new coach? I’ve been receiving tons of messages since this morning,” the FIGC president said.
“I’ll speak to everyone as soon as possible, as is only right.” He added: “He’ll be here soon, by tomorrow. I’m working on it.”
When pressed on whether Thiago Motta was a candidate, his response was: “I can’t say yes or no. Who was I referring to when I spoke of embarrassing situations? Everyone is free to interpret it as they wish.”
The fallout has extended to Maldini, who has now resigned as technical director, alongside Leonardo.
Even Italian politics has been dragged in. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, speaking at the presentation of Roma’s new stadium plans, was asked about the situation.
Malago insists the bigger picture is clear even if the immediate next step is not. “To recover our competitive credibility at the top level, where nothing is guaranteed, you need to work on kids who are now between 13 and 16 years old,” he said.
“For this, you need to change the entire process in terms of training and culture, and this also includes the coach. The ideas are very clear.”
