Pirlo ruled out from coaching Italy over deal with Russian betting brand
The Fonbet had become politically charged amid Italy’s support for sanctions against Russia.
Italy.- Andrea Pirlo has confirmed that he is “no longer a candidate” to become the next coach of Italy’s national football team. His appointment had been thrown into doubt over the weekend due to concerns over his commercial links with Russian betting firm Fonbet.
Due to Italy’s support for sanctions against Russia, the Fonbet had become politically charged. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Giovanni Malagò, the newly elected President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), had “put the brakes on” Pirlo’s appointment pending legal advice.
While Pirlo argued that his role as an ambassador for Fonbet was a personal commercial arrangement, the former player confirmed on social media yesterday (Monday) that he would not take up the role despite being favoured by technical director Paolo Maldini and former sporting director Leonardo.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
Fonbet was founded in 1995 by chess player Anatoly Machulsky. It runs more than 1,000 retail betting outlets and was among the first gambling operators to be licensed by Roskomnadzor to operate online in 2016. Pirlo became a brand ambassador in October 2025.
Pirlo has been expected to take on coaching duties after Pep Guardiola turned down the position. Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup has led to much debate about the state of Italian football. Malagò is supporting a proposal for 1 per cent football betting levy to provide funding directly to the sport. Meanwhile, there have also been calls for a re-evaluation of the ban on gambling sponsorship in sport.
