The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has abandoned Andrea Pirlo’s candidacy for the national team head coach position following criticism over his commercial ties with Fonbet, a Russian sports betting company. Pirlo, the former AC Milan and Juventus legend, was serving as head coach at United FC in the UAE Pro League when the club was acquired by Sergey Lomakin, a Fonbet shareholder. Italian regulations on gambling advertising made this situation incompatible with the requirements of a national team coach. Pirlo signed a global ambassador contract with Fonbet in October 2025, creating a conflict of interest that the Federation was not prepared to publicly defend.
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