<\/p>\n
Italian football has been plunged into crisis, with two key directors and former greats quitting after barely two weeks in their roles.<\/p>\n
Technical director Paolo Maldini and adviser Leonardo have stepped down from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), according to Sky Sports Italia.<\/p>\n
The shock move follows the federation\u2019s decision to block their endorsement of Italian great Andrea Pirlo\u2019s bid to take over as Azzurri manager.<\/p>\n
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The pair were only appointed 16 days ago to their newly created positions.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Maldini, an Italian great and former national captain, and Leonardo had endorsed Pirlo, a 2006 World Cup winner with the Azzurri, as the team\u2019s next manager.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But the looming appointment received backlash from Italian politicians over his role as a global ambassador for Russian betting company Fonbet, with the nation\u2019s ongoing war with Ukraine among the concerns.<\/p>\n Fonbet\u2019s owner, billionaire Sergey Lomakin, also employed Pirlo as manager of Dubai club United FC.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone who is or has been promoting Russia after 2022 should not hold national office,\u201d Italian Republic senator \ufeffCarlo Calenda, who represents the centrist Azione party, said.<\/p>\n Pirlo expressed his \u201cgreat bitterness\u201d at the snub in a lengthy post on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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,\u201d the 47-year old wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cTo 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Pirlo also expressed his gratitude to Maldini and Leonardo for their support of his pitch.<\/p>\n