The crisis surrounding Andrea Pirlo's exclusion from the race to coach the Italian national team has taken on political dimensions, after the Russian ambassador to Italy, Alexei Paramonov, leveled sharp criticism at the Italian authorities.
In a message posted on his Telegram channel, Paramonov expressed his regret that the Italian football legend was denied the position due to his business ties with a Russian betting company, arguing that his collaboration with a Russian company should not be a reason for excluding him from leading the Italian national team, which is something that deserves respect.
The Russian ambassador said that Pirlo was subjected to political and media pressure despite his great sporting history, expressing his solidarity with him, and stressing that the decision reflects, in his view, the politicization of a sporting issue that was supposed to be decided according to technical criteria only.
Paramonov's comments came after media reports indicated that Pirlo's appointment as coach of the Italian national team had stalled due to the controversy surrounding his advertising contract with a Russian betting company, given the restrictions on advertising related to betting within Italy.
Pirlo had previously issued a statement confirming that his collaboration with the Russian company was purely commercial and sporting in nature during his time working in the United Arab Emirates, denying any political motives or stances behind that partnership.
In contrast, the repercussions of the crisis extended to the Italian Football Federation, where both Paolo Maldini and Leonardo left their positions after the appointment of Pirlo faltered, while reports indicate that Roberto Mancini has become the most prominent candidate to take over the leadership of the Italian national team during the next stage.
