Italian football has been plunged into crisis, with two key directors and former greats quitting after barely two weeks in their roles.
Technical director Paolo Maldini and adviser Leonardo have stepped down from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), according to Sky Sports Italia.
The shock move follows the federation’s decision to block their endorsement of Italian great Andrea Pirlo’s bid to take over as Azzurri manager.
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The pair were only appointed 16 days ago to their newly created positions.
They were tasked with the rebuilding of Italian football after a disastrous run that has included missing qualification for the FIFA World Cup for three consecutive tournaments.
Maldini, an Italian great and former national captain, and Leonardo had endorsed Pirlo, a 2006 World Cup winner with the Azzurri, as the team’s next manager.
The position had been vacant since the resignation of Gennaro Gattuso in April after a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina saw them again fail to qualify for the World Cup.
The legendary Italian midfielder, who previously managed Serie A powerhouse Juventus from 2020-21, had emerged as a clear favourite for the job after celebrated former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola withdrew from contention for personal reasons.
But the looming appointment received backlash from Italian politicians over his role as a global ambassador for Russian betting company Fonbet, with the nation’s ongoing war with Ukraine among the concerns.
Fonbet’s owner, billionaire Sergey Lomakin, also employed Pirlo as manager of Dubai club United FC.
Further criticism was aimed at a trip Pirlo look to Moscow in May for the Russian Cup final, in which he participated in Fonbet-run exhibition matches and was photographed with pro-Kremlin officials.
“Anyone who is or has been promoting Russia after 2022 should not hold national office,” Italian Republic senator Carlo Calenda, who represents the centrist Azione party, said.
Pirlo expressed his “great bitterness” at the snub in a lengthy post on Instagram.
“The professional arrangement at the centre of the recent controversy stems from my work in the United Arab Emirates and is exclusively commercial and sporting in nature,” the 47-year old wrote.
“To attribute a political significance to this collaboration is to ascribe to me beliefs that I have never expressed and which do not reflect my views.
“I regret that a decision of a sporting nature has so quickly been dragged into a public debate which has ended up attributing to me meanings and intentions that are not my own.”
Pirlo also expressed his gratitude to Maldini and Leonardo for their support of his pitch.
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“I would like to thank Maldini and Leonardo for the esteem and trust they have shown in me,” he wrote.
“I am well aware of their expertise, their integrity, and the love they have always shown for Italian football.”
Maldini and Leonardo’s resignation plunges the FIGC into chaos at a crucial juncture for the nation’s football program, leaving new FIGC president Giovanni Malago needing to restore stability as well as find replacements.
Not only have the Azzurri not featured at a World Cup since 2014, Italian clubs suffered a swathe of early exits across European tournaments last season.
Nicknamed Il Capitano, Maldini played 126 games for the Azzurri including their 1994 World Cup final loss to Brazil.
The 58-year old also played a record 647 games for Serie A powerhouse AC Milan.
Leonardo, a former Brazilian left back, missed out on the World Cup triumph in the same year after being handed an eight-game suspension for breaking Spaniard Luis Enrique’s nose in the round of 16.
Former Italian manager Roberto Mancini, who departed in mid-2023 after their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is among the favourites for a second stint in the top job.
Mancini led the Azzurri to the 2021 Euros title after beating England on penalties in the final at Wembley Stadium, while he also broke Manchester City’s Premier League title drought in 2011/12.