Italian football has been plunged into deep uncertainty. Legendary defender Paolo Maldini and former Brazil star Leonardo have resigned from their roles at the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) just 16 days after taking office, Italian media outlet Sky Sport Italia reported on Monday night.
Maldini was appointed as FIGC Technical Director on July 11, tasked with rebuilding the national team after Italy failed to qualify for the main stage of the World Cup for the third consecutive time. Former Brazilian footballer Leonardo joined as his adviser.
However, within just 16 days of taking charge, both men have decided to resign. Their departures were triggered primarily by the sudden collapse of the process to appoint Andrea Pirlo as head coach.
Italy had been searching for a new coach since Gennaro Gattuso’s departure in March. After Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola both declined offers, Technical Director Maldini took the initiative to persuade Pirlo to take the role. But on Sunday evening, FIGC President Giovanni Malagò abruptly brought all negotiations to a halt with a single phone call, ending the recruitment process before it could be concluded.
Pirlo’s prospective appointment had attracted strong opposition, primarily due to his business connections with a Russian betting company and his role as head coach of United FC, a club in the United Arab Emirates owned by Russian billionaire Sergei Lomakin.
Pirlo, however, firmly rejected any political interpretation of these relationships. In a statement, he said: “The professional collaboration that has been the subject of controversy is purely commercial and sporting in nature. It is not right to seek political meaning in it. I am being accused of holding a belief that I have never expressed and that does not belong to me.”
The sudden resignations of Maldini and Leonardo have thrown Italy’s footballing reconstruction plan into fresh uncertainty, leaving the FIGC once again without clear leadership or a coherent direction for the national team.
