"In recent days I have witnessed with great bitterness the debate that has developed around my name and the possibility of taking on the role of Technical Commissioner of the Italian national team. Out of respect for the institutions, the Federation and all the people involved, I have chosen until now to remain silent. However, I feel it is my duty to clarify a few points." It comes as a bolt from the blue, the Instagram post by Andrea Pirlo, who in recent days has been the leading candidate for the national team bench, but over the weekend became embroiled in political controversy over his role as global ambassador for a Russian betting agency.
"Throughout my career, first as a footballer and today as a coach, I have always carried out my work in full compliance with the laws of the countries in which I have worked and the contracts I have signed," continues the current manager of United FC in Dubai. "The professional collaboration at the centre of the recent controversy stems from my working experience in the United Arab Emirates and is exclusively commercial and sporting in nature. To attribute a political meaning to this collaboration is to ascribe to me convictions that I have never expressed and that do not belong to me." A clarification that was to be expected, though delivered in a less measured tone than anticipated: "I wish to thank Maldini and Leonardo," writes the former midfielder, mentioning the technical director and his advisor but notably not the federation president, Giovanni Malagò, "for the esteem and trust they have shown me. I know their competence, their seriousness and the love they have always dedicated to Italian football. Love for Italy does not depend on a position. It is part of my history, my identity, and it will continue to accompany me, always."
Words that seem almost like a withdrawal from the race for the role of head coach, or an acknowledgement that the position will not be his. Names already associated with Coverciano are now re-emerging with greater force, above all Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini. But everything could be back in play once again, from the idea of Claudio Ranieri as technical director — should Maldini and Leonardo step aside — to other names such as Pioli or the current interim head coach, Silvio Baldini. The battle for the future of the national team, in short, is still very much to be decided.
On the head coach, there is still deadlock: Maldini ties himself to Pirlo, Malagò's torments
Will there be, at least in theory, a name for the Azzurri head coach on the table at next Tuesday's federal council meeting, even if the matter is not on the agenda? Just over a month after Giovanni Malagò's election to lead the Football Federation, there is still deadlock over the choice of the coach tasked with reviving Italy's World Cup fortunes, and it is a fact that some of the constituent bodies are beginning to express concern over the passage of time. While political and public opinion controversy erupts around the name of Andrea Pirlo — on the World Cup winner's social media, comments on his posts brandish the inevitable hashtag PirloOut — the situation at Via Allegri is currently at a standstill.
Paolo Maldini, the sporting director designated by Malagò for shared decision-making and to lead the technical rebuilding project, remains tied to the choice of his former AC Milan teammate. He made the trip to Barcelona with advisor Leonardo for a last-ditch attempt to sign Guardiola; he admitted to having also contacted Ancelotti (a move that did not go down well with the Brazilian football federation, which reportedly lodged an informal complaint with FIFA); but after the top candidates said no, he does not appear troubled by the fact that the current manager of Dubai United seems like a lesser-calibre solution. However, two major obstacles remain in the way: while Pirlo may be able to free himself from his contract with the Dubai club (under Russian ownership), his role as global ambassador for a Moscow-based betting agency — though reportedly on its way to being resolved — along with the ensuing controversy, risks bringing down the designated frontrunner at the final hurdle. There is also the risk of a conflict of interest (or of expediency): Pirlo's son is affiliated with a players' agency, as is Maldini's, a situation that was previously handled by another national team manager, Marcello Lippi.
In light of all this, Malagò is reflecting. And while Pirlo plays a behind-closed-doors friendly with his United side on a pitch in Salzburg (by an irony of fate, the match ends 1-1 with Tabakovic — the striker who scored for Bosnia against Italy in the ill-fated Zenica match — netting from the penalty spot), the circle has yet to close. A collapse of the Pirlo project risks triggering earthquakes around Maldini's position too: having been "rejected," he could consider a sensational step back (causing an institutional crisis that the federation president obviously wants to avoid) if the FIGC were to revert to the original idea (Malagò's) of Roberto Mancini returning; or in the event of a second Conte stint, which would mean giving the manager full powers. If some are still dreaming of Ranieri and Baldini is gaining support among fans, the former Napoli manager remains the preferred choice of Serie A, Malagò's key electorate. With him, the national team would operate on a different timescale than the 8-to-10-year horizon outlined for Italian football as a whole by the Maldini-Leonardo tandem, presented to the Serie A clubs. In short, a true Mexican standoff. Meanwhile, tomorrow Malagò will hold a meeting (long scheduled) with the presidents of the federation's constituent bodies on the eve of the federal council. And perhaps it will become clearer how many steps forward — or backward — have been taken.
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