135 new news items in the last 24 hours

Andrea Pirlo has withdrawn his candidacy for the position of head coach of Italy due to his connections with a Russian betting company.

Matei Gaginsky

27 July 2026, 15:02

main event image

Sport

Foto Credit: Vanessa Carvalho / Zuma Press / Profimedia

google-preference

Always see our news on Google

Andrea Pirlo, former Italian international midfielder, will not take over as the head coach of the Italian national team. After Pep Guardiola's refusal, Pirlo was chosen by Paolo Maldini and Leonardo to lead the reconstruction of the team, which has been absent from the World Cup since 2014.

However, his ties to Russia, as a 'brand ambassador' for the betting company Fonbet, have become a major obstacle, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine. Giovanni Malago, the new president of the Federation, decided to reject Pirlo's candidacy, and he confirmed on Instagram that he will no longer be the head coach. Pirlo explained that his role as an ambassador has no political significance and expressed regret for the public debate generated by his name.

Sources

Răsturnare de situație în cursa pentru postul de selecționer al Italiei! Ce se întâmplă cu Andrea Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo confirmă că nu va fi selecţionerul echipei Italiei. Giovanni Malago i-a respins candidatura

„Ostracizat”. Rusia intervine în scandalul „Andrea Pirlo”. Mesajul primit după ce a ratat naționala Italiei

Continuă scandalul de la naționala Italiei, cu implicarea celebrului Paolo Maldini

Legăturile cu Rusia l-au făcut să piardă postul de selecționer

Acuzat de legături cu Rusia, Andrea Pirlo nu va putea fi selecționerul Italiei

Ce răsturnare de situație! Andrea Pirlo NU va mai fi selecționerul Italiei

Andrea Pirlo, exclus din cursa pentru banca tehnică a Italiei din cauza unui contract cu o companie rusă

Andrea Pirlo nu va deveni selecționerul Italiei. Federația i-a respins candidatura

Andrea Pirlo, respins pentru postul de selecționer al Italiei

Pirlo bitter over debate that cost him Italy coaching job

The Guardian EU

Andrea Pirlo out of running for Italy job but defends deal with Russian betting firm

Pirlo out of Italy football top job after backlash over Russian betting firm links

independent.co.uk

Pirlo out of contention for Italy job due to Russian betting firm sponsorship deal

Latest News

22:49

Radu Miruță announces that USR and PNL are discussing an alliance for the 2028 local and parliamentary elections

22:25

Ilie Bolojan calls for the PNL to be rebuilt through truth, accountability and strong teams

22:02

Donald Trump promotes Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff

21:29

President of the Bavarian State Parliament backed for the German presidency / The nomination of the CSU politician could be confirmed on Monday

21:28

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya received the Prize for European Values in Timișoara and will donate the money to Belarusian culture

See more news

NEWS ON THE SAME TOPICS

Sport

The Romanian Football Federation has decided not to renew head coach Costin Curelea’s contract.

Sport

FRF has ended its collaboration with Costin Curelea / Adrian Mutu is expected to take over the U21 national team

Sport

Mihai Stoichiță announces that Adrian Mutu could be an option for the U21 national team bench after Romania failed to qualify for Euro 2027

International

Italy’s government is calling for the swift appointment of a common EU representative for negotiations with Russia

Politics

The Bucharest Court of Appeal rejected the request to suspend Siegfried Mureșan’s designation for the position of prime minister

International

The Swiss Football Federation withdraws its support for Gianni Infantino’s candidacy for the FIFA presidency

Personalized news feed, AI-powered search, and notifications in a more interactive experience.

andrea pirlo Italy Russia select Candidacy football

Personalized news feed, AI-powered search, and notifications in a more interactive experience.

app preview

google play badge