Andrea Pirlo is currently the head coach of the UAE’s Dubai United
Andrea Pirlo has said he is no longer a candidate to coach the Italian national side following days of controversy over his ties to a Russian betting company.

His appointment as Italy’s next head coach had not been confirmed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) yet was being treated as all but certain.

But over the weekend several Italian politicians criticised the FIGC’s choice, noting that Pirlo, 47, had taken up a role as global ambassador for Russia’s Fonbet last October.

The betting company has sponsored several sporting events involving veterans of Moscow’s war in Ukraine and has organised events in Russia at which Pirlo appeared alongside pro-Kremlin figures.

“Anyone who is or has been promoting Russia after 2022 should not hold national office,” said Carlo Calenda of the centrist Azione party.

“After learning last night that I am no longer a candidate for the Italian national team, I feel it is my duty to clarify some aspects,” Pirlo, a former Internazionale, Juventus, AC Milan and Azzurri midfielder, wrote in an Instagram post on Monday morning.

“Over the last few days I watched, with great bitterness, the debate that swirled around my name,” he said, adding that any “professional collaboration” he undertook in his capacity as coach for United FC in Dubai “was exclusively of a commercial and sporting nature”.

“To assign a political meaning to that collaboration means ascribing to me beliefs which I have never expressed and that do not belong to me,” Pirlo wrote.

Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, said at the weekend that Italian football “desperately needed a cultural, ethical and managerial revolution” but that the choice of Pirlo “goes in the exact opposite direction”.

In contrast, Pirlo was offered support by the Russian ambassador in Rome, Aleksey Paramonov, who said that it was “saddening” to note that, “despite [Pirlo’s] extraordinary contribution to world sport and to Italy’s image around the world, in your own country, you are now being ostracized”.

Scrutiny of Pirlo’s ties to Fonbet and Russia intensified last spring, when he took part in a Fonbet event held in Moscow, which saw him and former teammate Marco Materazzi sign autographs at Luzhniki Stadium.

Nationalist pro-Kremlin pop star Shaman, who has repeatedly expressed his support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, also performed at the event.

At the time, Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych – who was disqualified from the Winter Olympics over his helmet depicting fellow athletes killed in the war – noted the Luzhniki event had taken place on the same day as a large Russian attack on Ukraine.

Heraskevych also criticised Pirlo for appearing next to Russian footballer Artem Dzyuba, who in the wake of the war in Ukraine posted on social media that he was “proud to be Russian”.

“It’s sad to see childhood legends turn into moral bankrupts,” Heraskevych said.

The debate now risks engulfing new FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini, who has only been in post since 11 July and who Italian media say may resign over Pirlo’s failed appointment.

Maldini and his adviser, former AC Milan teammate Leonardo, were tasked with finding a new head coach to navigate Italy through a Nations League group that includes France, Belgium and Turkey in the autumn and then try to qualify for Euro 2028.

The Italian football community has been undergoing much soul-searching after the team failed to qualify for a third World Cup earlier this year. Italy’s loss on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina in April led to coach Gennaro Gattuso stepping down as well as a reshuffle of the FIGC echelons.

Earlier this month, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti were both unsuccessfully approached ahead of Pirlo.

According to Italian media, other names currently being considered are Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini – who led Italy to Euro 2020 glory before failing to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar and unceremoniously stepping down from the Italy bench to coach Saudi Arabia.

A member of the House of Representatives representing the Maru/Bungudu Federal Constituency in Zamfara State, Hon. Abdulmalik Zubairu, popularly known as Zannan Bungudu, has urged residents of his constituency to withdraw their savings and buy weapons to defend themselves against bandit attacks.

The lawmaker made the remarks during an interview with DCL Hausa on Sunday while reacting to the recent abduction of the Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area, Nura Abdullahi, and the killing of four members of his security team by bandits.

“I advise the people I represent to withdraw their money and buy guns for self-defence. Whatever they can afford, even if it is an AK-47, AK-49, or any other weapon, they should contribute money, get the weapons if they know where to buy them, and protect their communities,” he said.

Zubairu acknowledged that his call was contrary to the Constitution but argued that the continued killing of innocent people had left communities with difficult choices.

“I know this is against the Constitution, but killing innocent people is also against the Constitution. If you are faced with two difficult situations that are both illegal, it is not bad if you choose one to save lives,” he said.

When asked whether his comments reflected a lack of confidence in the administrations of President Bola Tinubu and Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, the lawmaker said both governments were making efforts to tackle insecurity.

According to him, despite those efforts, ordinary people must also take responsibility for protecting themselves.

“They are doing their best. That is why it is important for ordinary people to also defend themselves and protect their communities,” he said.

The lawmaker argued that bandits are fewer in number than the people they attack, adding that their main advantage is their access to sophisticated weapons.

“The bandits are not more than the people. What gives them the upper hand is that they have better weapons. If the people also have weapons, they can defend themselves,” he said.

He further suggested that communities could work with security authorities by registering any weapons acquired for self-defence.

“The people can even go to the authorities and explain why they have the weapons. They can register them, stating that this weapon is in this person’s custody for the protection of this community. It is painful to continue watching innocent people being killed,” he added.

The lawmaker’s comments came a day after bandits attacked the residence of the Bungudu Local Government Chairman, Nura Abdullahi, in the early hours of Saturday.

During the attack, the gunmen reportedly killed four members of the chairman’s security detail, comprising two police officers and two local vigilantes, after engaging them in a gun battle.

The attackers then abducted Abdullahi along with his wife, children, and some other family members and took them into the forest

Pep Guardiola has turned down the chance to coach the Italian national side.

Earlier this week, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malago said talks had been held with Guardiola, who left Manchester City this summer after 10 years, and that “exceptions” could be made for his salary.

On Thursday, FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini said Italy first approached their former player Carlo Ancelotti, who is currently in charge of Brazil.

Ancelotti has agreed to stay in post and now Guardiola has informed the FIGC he intends to continue with his plan to take a break from the game, which will allow him to rest, spend more time with his family and travel.

In addition to a huge salary, the FIGC is understood to have effectively told Guardiola he could shape the job as he saw fit, as they tried to tempt one of the most successful coaches in the game to take charge of a side that has failed to qualify for three World Cups in a row.

However, after taking some time to consider the situation, he has said no.

It means former Italy playmaker Andrea Pirlo, currently head coach of Dubai-based United FC, is the frontrunner to be tasked with navigating Italy through a Nations League group that includes France, Belgium and Turkey in the autumn and then try to qualify for Euro 2028.