Pirlo speaks out after Italy snub, Maldini and Leonardo may leave

Pirlo speaks out after Italy snub, Maldini and Leonardo may leave The possibility of Andrea Pirlo taking charge of the Italian national team has been definitively ruled out. According to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the explanations presented by the coach were not enough to overcome the crisis behind the scenes. The decisive factor that brought down his candidacy was the coach’s connection to a Russian sports betting platform. Faced with strong pressure, the president of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Giovanni Malagò, chose to veto Pirlo’s name for the position. This veto, combined with the possibility that the next coach chosen may not be aligned with the ideas of Paolo Maldini and Leonardo, could trigger a domino effect: the two executives are already considering stepping back and resigning from their positions, something that could happen at any moment later today. Pirlo’s words on Instagram “Out of respect for the institutions, the Federation, and everyone involved, I have so far chosen to remain silent, but after learning last night that I am no longer a candidate for the Italian national team bench, I consider it my duty to clarify some aspects. In recent days, I have watched with great bitterness the debate that has developed around my name and the possibility of taking on the role of Head Coach of the Italian national team. Throughout my career, first as a player and now as a coach, I have always carried out my work in full respect of the laws of the countries where I have worked and the contracts I have signed. The professional collaboration at the center of the recent controversy stems from my work experience in the United Arab Emirates and is exclusively commercial and sporting in nature. To attribute a political meaning to such collaboration is to attribute to me convictions that I have never expressed and that do not belong to me. I would like to thank Maldini and Leonardo for the esteem and trust they have shown me. I know their competence, their seriousness, and the love they have always devoted to Italian football. I regret that a sporting decision was quickly dragged into a public confrontation that ended up attributing meanings and intentions to me that do not belong to me. Love for Italy does not depend on a role. It is part of my history, my identity, and it will always stay with me.” This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.