Andrea Pirlo out of running for Italy job but defends deal with Russian betting firm

Italian politicians had raised concern over appointmentRoberto Mancini and Antonio Conte now in contentionAndrea Pirlo has confirmed he is no longer in line to coach Italy, with his sponsorship deal with a Russian betting firm believed to behind the development. Several Italian politicians have raised concerns about Pirlo’s role as an ambassador for Fonbet, saying the national team coach should not have conflicting views on Italy’s support for Ukraine in the war with Russia.Writing on Instagram on Monday, Pirlo said he “heard last night that I’m no longer the candidate for the Italy national team job”. The former Azzurri midfielder had previously insisted the Fonbet deal was linked to his job in the United Arab Emirates and is “exclusively for commercial and sports purposes”, adding: “Attributing a political significance to that collaboration means attributing beliefs to me that I have never expressed and don’t belong to me.” Continue reading...

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