Maldini gone after 16 days!

On 11th of July, Italy’s legend Paolo Maldini was appointed as the new technical director and president of Club Italia for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). Just 16 days later, his future fairy tale ended badly, as former Milan’s player and executive resigned, along with his advisor Leonardo. And all because of Andrea Pirlo. The focus shifted to the controversy surrounding a commercial he filmed for a Russian betting company. The question is: can that really be the stumbling block preventing one of the greatest footballers in Italian history from taking charge of the national team? Anyone who enjoys conspiracy theories will likely find that hard to believe, especially considering that a betting company sponsors Serie A and much of Italian football. Yes, there is a political dimension because the company is Russian, and in light of the war in Ukraine, any association with Russia is viewed as a serious issue across much of Europe. But if that truly is the reason Pirlo cannot become Italy's coach, then the problem runs much deeper.

Giovanni Malago, the new president of the Italian Football Federation, reportedly came under political pressure over Pirlo and decided to draw the line: Pirlo would not become head coach. In doing so, he effectively overruled technical director Paolo Maldini and his right-hand man Leonardo, who wanted full authority over selecting the new manager. As a result, both resigned after just 16 days in their roles. They wanted Thiago Motta to become Italy's coach, but that proposal also appears to have been rejected, prompting them to walk away. The saga, it seemed, had finally come to an end.

Home sweet home: Pirlo one step away from the Italy job!

According to Sky Sport Italia, Maldini and Leonardo are now officially gone. Once Pirlo was ruled out and Thiago Motta proved to be nothing more than a smokescreen, they no longer had any influence over the process. They simply announced their departures, bringing the drama to a close. It is an astonishing turn of events. The situation had become straightforward: if the Italian Football Federation wanted Paolo Maldini and Leonardo to remain in their positions, Thiago Motta had to be appointed as the new head coach. The pair wanted a modern manager—someone whose football philosophy reflected the way they believe the game should be played today, rather than the more traditional approach favored by the federation president and his allies. Ultimately, the federation still had the final say, but if it were solely up to them, Antonio Conte or Roberto Mancini would have been appointed. According to Maldini and Leonardo, that would simply keep Italy trapped in the same vicious cycle, with no real progress. They felt the national team had reached its lowest point in history, and when Motta was no longer considered a realistic option, they chose to leave.

Italy roll out the red carpet for Pep with special contract plan

As a reminder, Pirlo's candidacy collapsed because of the aforementioned betting advertisement. A meeting had been planned to finalize his appointment, and afterward there were reports that another meeting would be arranged with Thiago Motta instead. That, however, will no longer happen. Previous attempts to bring in Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti had also failed, followed by Pirlo. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Motta was seen by Maldini and Leonardo as the last modern coach capable of taking Italy forward, and they were prepared to put the contract in front of him and have him sign it immediately. But that plan also quickly fell apart. No solution has been found, and the entire process has ended in failure. When you consider that names such as Raffaele Palladino, Stefano Pioli, and even former Fiorentina coach Paolo Vanoli were also mentioned, it becomes easier to understand why Italian fans are so frustrated. Everything has fallen apart. Italian football now finds itself facing one of the deepest crises in its history.