Italy legend Andrea Pirlo is no longer in the running to coach his country’s national team due to his links to the Russian betting firm Fonbet.
The midfielder had been reportedly lined up to replace Gennaro Gattuso after the Azzurri failed to reach a third successive FIFA World Cup.
However, backlash has emerged within Italy’s political system over Pirlo’s partnership with the Moscow-based Fonbet, claiming that he continues to promote Russia despite the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Founded by a chess grandmaster
Fonbet was founded in 1994 by the Russian chess grandmaster Anatoly Machulsky and has grown to hold a significant presence across Russia’s retail and online betting markets. The original company has also expanded to Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Meanwhile, Fonbet Cyprus operates in Cyprus and Greece under a Cypriot licence held by Fortune Entertainment RG Limited.
Fonbet signed partnerships with Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Pirlo’s former club AC Milan in 2021. However, these were cancelled following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022.
The brand continues to sponsor a wide variety of clubs and leagues within Russia across a range of sports, including acting as the title sponsor of the Russian Cup and Russia’s professional ice hockey league, the KHL.
The operator has also sponsored initiatives targeted at supporting injured veterans of the conflict with Ukraine, such as sledge hockey, amputee football and sitting volleyball competitions.
These latter actions have led to the brand being described as pro-war by critics of Pirlo’s potential appointment.
Opposition senator Carlo Calenda told Italian media over the weekend: “Anyone who is or has been promoting Russia after 2022 should not hold national office.”
Meanwhile, Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, said that hiring Pirlo would ‘go in the exact opposite direction’ of the cultural shift needed to turn around the fortunes of Italy’s football team.
How did Pirlo get involved?
Pirlo was first announced as a Fonbet in October following his appointment by the United Arab Emirates Pro League side United FC.
At the time, it was reported that the deal was done due to the connection of Sergey Lomakin, the owner of United FC, and Fonbet. However, following reports of the controversy over the weekend, United FC has denied that Lomakin has any interest in the Russian brand.
Last spring, Pirlo was criticised for appearing at an event at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow alongside his former teammate and fellow World Cup winner Marco Materazzi, which coincided with significant strikes on Kyiv by the Russian military.
In an Instagram post released on Sunday (26 July), Pirlo expressed his ‘great sadness’ that he was no longer in the running to lead the Italian national team.
He described his relationship with Fonbet as a ‘professional collaboration’ that is ‘exclusively commercial and sporting in nature’.
“To attribute a political meaning to this collaboration is to ascribe to me beliefs that I have never expressed and that do not represent me,” he added.
“I regret that a sporting decision was so quickly drawn into a public debate that ultimately attributed meanings and intentions to me that do not represent me.”
The Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) Technical Director Paolo Maldini has been charged with replacing Gattuso after Italy lost to Bosnia-Herzegovina in a World Cup qualifying play-off game.
Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti have both previously turned down the role, and Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini are now reportedly being considered by the FIGC following the controversy surrounding Pirlo.
