National Fiasco: How the Italian National Team Turned into a Ridiculous Farce
Forget missing the World Cup—Italy is now struggling to sign a coach without getting into trouble. From the choice of Pirlo, canceled due to questionable ties with a Russian gambling portal, to the appointment of a man recently labeled a "traitor," the farce continues.
The worst thing for teams that have experienced sporting greatness is when failure becomes routine, when it surprises no one, and when missing the World Cup for a four-time winner is no longer considered a catastrophe. After the Italian national team failed to qualify three times in a row, the local football federation realized a shock was needed. Germany, which struggled in the early stages of the World Cup, broke the bank to bring in Jurgen Klopp. The Italians understood they had to think big. The federation appointed Paolo Maldini as technical director and his former Milan teammate, the Brazilian Leonardo, as a strategic advisor to accelerate the coaching search.
At first, they tried to entice Pep Guardiola to coach the Azzurri. "We went for the best there is," Maldini stated. If he had accepted, Guardiola would have been the first foreign coach of the Italian national team since 1966. However, based on his social media, Guardiola prefers poolside relaxation to the pressures of the Italian job. Moreover, he demanded 20 million euros and a squad the federation could not guarantee. These were not the conditions Guardiola is used to. The Italians moved to Plan B. Italy had been eliminated from the last World Cup under Gennaro Gattuso, a glorious former player and a consistently failing coach. So, Maldini and Leonardo chose Andrea Pirlo, whose coaching record was even worse, including ending Juventus's nine-championship streak.
A contract was on the table, but a problem arose: gambling and politics. Pirlo has ties to Russia; he promotes the gambling portal "Fonbet," which sponsors the Russian national team, and coaches a Dubai team owned by Russian billionaire Sergey Lomakin, who is close to the Kremlin. In late May, during Moscow's attacks on Kyiv, Pirlo visited Russia for autograph sessions. Public outcry led to a veto on his appointment. Pirlo claimed his ties were purely business, while the Russian ambassador in Rome called him a "victim of the pseudo-democratic Italian establishment." Following this, Maldini and Leonardo resigned.
After Giorgio Chiellini declined a board role and Antonio Conte's candidacy stalled, the federation returned to Roberto Mancini, appointing Claudio Ranieri as technical director. Mancini (61) led Italy to Euro 2021 glory but failed to qualify for the Qatar World Cup and later left for a lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia, only to move to Qatar's Al-Sadd a year later. The "messiah" had become a "traitor." His appointment, supported by federation president Giovanni Malago, capped off a chaotic political show.
Italian football has plunged into an abyss of international shame. Maldini's reputation is tarnished, and reform efforts have been met with Stone Age intrigues. A telling example is the treatment of Cesc Fabregas, the successful coach of Como, who is being torn apart by the Italian media for his progressive football and his attempts to lecture Italians on abandoning their defensive culture. Fabregas, like Guardiola, is Spanish. And as the last World Cup testified, what do Spaniards understand about football to dare lecture the Italians?
