Andrea Pirlo withdraws from Italy head coach race, defends Fonbet commercial ties

Published Jul 27, 10:50 AM UTC

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Andrea Pirlo has announced he is 'no longer a candidate' for the Italy national team head coach position, expressing 'great bitterness' over the public debate surrounding his commercial links to Russian betting company Fonbet. The 2006 World Cup winner, currently coaching Dubai United in the UAE, has been a brand ambassador for Fonbet since October. In a social media statement, Pirlo insisted the arrangement is 'exclusively commercial and sporting' and rejected any political interpretation. The Italy job has been vacant since Gennaro Gattuso left in April after Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. The Russian ambassador to Italy, Aleksey Paramonov, publicly supported Pirlo, accusing Italy's 'pseudo-democratic establishment' of ostracizing him. The FIGC had previously approached Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti for the role, both of whom declined.

Source

Soccer - The AthleticWestern

Original headline: Andrea Pirlo reveals he is 'no longer a candidate' for Italy job but defends link to Russian firm

Original language: EN

Part of this Story

Pirlo's Russian Betting Ties Threaten Italy National Team Coach Appointment

See the full Story: all sources and camp coverage

People and interests

Italy Russia Pep Guardiola Carlo Ancelotti