Italian football has descended further into crisis after Paolo Maldini and Leonardo made the astonishing decision to quit their positions with the national federation over not being allowed to appoint Andrea Pirlo as head coach.
Italy have been without a head coach since Gennaro Gattuso quit in April after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive tournament. But it had been hoped the appointments of Maldini as technical director and Leonardo as an adviser – announced 16 days ago – would be a line in the sand.
There had been speculation that Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti could be approached, but Maldini – who was capped 126 times during his illustrious career and whose late father, Cesare, managed the Azzurri at the 1998 World Cup – and Leonardo wanted Pirlo to take over.
There was resistance over the weekend, however, after it emerged that Pirlo has a commercial link-up with a Russian gambling firm, Fonbet. Maldini and Leonardo, the Brazilian who played for AC Milan, met Giovanni Malagò, the Italian Football Federation president, on Monday and quit on the spot.
Maldini had spoken of grand ambitions to revive Italy, but this latest development leaves them as a laughing stock. Pirlo, who posted to his 9.6 million followers on Instagram, was furious he had been denied the opportunity to manage his national side.
“Over the last few days, I have followed with great bitterness the debate that has arisen in regard to my name and the possibility of taking on the role of head coach of the Italian national team,” said the former Juventus and Sampdoria manager, who won the World Cup as a player in 2006 and was capped 116 times.
“Throughout my career – first as a footballer and now as a coach – I have always conducted my work in full compliance with the laws of the countries in which I have worked and the contracts I have signed.
“The professional arrangement at the centre of the recent controversy stems from my work in the United Arab Emirates and is exclusively commercial and sporting in nature. To attribute a political significance to this collaboration is to ascribe to me beliefs that I have never expressed and which do not reflect my views.
“I regret that a decision of a sporting nature has so quickly been dragged into a public debate which has ended up attributing to me meanings and intentions that are not my own.”
Roberto Mancini, who oversaw Italy’s last great moment at Euro 2020, is now favourite for a second stint as head coach but it will take something to lift the mood of the nation after so many recent disappointments and humiliations.
“I would like to thank [Paolo] Maldini [technical director of the Italian Football Federation] and Leonardo [his advisor] for the esteem and trust they have shown in me,” Pirlo added. “I am well aware of their expertise, their integrity, and the love they have always shown for Italian football.
“My love for Italy does not depend on a particular role. It is part of my history, my identity, and will continue to be with me, always.”