Andrea Pirlo Fails to Become Italy National Team Head Coach, Two Football Legends Leave the FIGC

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) efforts to rebuild Gli Azzurri's former glory have been marred by internal turmoil. Paolo Maldini and Leonardo have officially resigned from their posts as FIGC Technical Director and Advisor respectively, after Andrea Pirlo failed to secure the Italy national team head coach position.

This decision has delivered a major blow to Italian football's restructuring project. In a striking turn of events, Maldini and Leonardo only remained in their roles for 10 days after joining FIGC, brought in to help turn around the national side which has failed to qualify for three consecutive FIFA World Cup final tournaments.

According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano in a report published Tuesday, the two Italian football legends opted to end their involvement after FIGC President Giovanni Malago rejected Andrea Pirlo's nomination to take over as Gli Azzurri head coach.

Malago is understood to have blocked Pirlo's appointment over the former AC Milan and Juventus midfielder's commercial partnerships with multiple Russian brands.

Romano confirmed that Maldini and Leonardo had only agreed to join the federation on the condition that Pirlo would be installed as national team manager. Once this proposal was rejected, both men resigned from their positions immediately without awaiting further formal processes.

With this development, Pirlo's chances of taking charge of his home nation have collapsed. Prior to this, the legendary former midfielder had been shortlisted as a replacement for Gennaro Gattuso, after Pep Guardiola turned down the opportunity to coach the 2020 European Champions.

Pirlo's candidacy ultimately fell apart due to controversy surrounding his commercial partnership with Russian betting company Fonbet.

Pirlo's position as a global ambassador for the firm drew criticism from multiple FIGC officials and members of the Italian parliament. This issue became one of the primary obstacles preventing him from taking the national team head coach role.

In an Instagram post shared Monday, Pirlo confirmed he had received official notification that he was no longer under consideration for the Italy coaching job.

In his statement, Pirlo asserted that all of his professional activities comply with applicable law and contractual obligations. He also denied that his work with Fonbet carried any political element.

The controversy gained further public attention after Pirlo attended a Fonbet event at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium alongside former Italy national team teammate Marco Materazzi.

This case also prompted public comment from Russian Ambassador to Italy Alexey Paramonov, who openly stated his support for Pirlo.

The departures of Maldini and Leonardo present a fresh set of challenges for FIGC amid the ongoing search for a new Gli Azzurri head coach. As well as losing two senior respected figures from its management structure, the federation is now under pressure to quickly appoint a leader to guide Italy through its upcoming international fixture schedule.