Following Pirlo's rejection: Maldini and Leonardo resigned from their positions
The two left the Italian federation 10 days after joining, due to the president's refusal to appoint the former star because of his ties to a Russian betting company.
The crisis surrounding the appointment of the new coach for the Italian national team has led to a shake-up in the federation. Paolo Maldini and Leonardo resigned this evening (Monday) from their roles as technical director and consultant, just ten days after joining the new project, according to Fabrizio Romano.
According to the report, the two decided to leave following the federation president's opposition to the appointment of Andrea Pirlo as the national team coach. Maldini and Leonardo wanted only Pirlo for the position, and after his candidacy was rejected, they decided to end their tenure at the federation immediately.
Pirlo's candidacy was taken off the table due to his commercial ties with Russian brands, primarily the betting company Fonbet. These ties sparked criticism and political concerns in Italy against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
Pirlo himself clarified that the collaboration was purely commercial and sporting, without any political significance:
"To attribute political significance to this collaboration is to attribute to me beliefs that I have never expressed and that do not belong to me," he wrote on Instagram.
The departure of Maldini and Leonardo completely changes the professional plans of the federation. Previously, it was reported that Thiago Motta might be appointed as part of the project led by the two, while Roberto Mancini was mentioned as the leading candidate in the event that Maldini left. Giorgio Chiellini is considered a candidate to step into the vacated technical director role.
