Andrea Pirlo announced he is no longer in contention to coach the Italian national football team after facing intense criticism over his connections to a Russian betting company.

Although the Italian Football Federation had not formally confirmed his appointment as the next head coach, it had been widely viewed as imminent.

Over the weekend multiple Italian politicians voiced strong objections to the FIGC's selection, highlighting that Pirlo, aged 47, had accepted a global ambassador position with Russia's Fonbet last October.

The betting firm has backed various sporting activities linked to veterans of Moscow's conflict in Ukraine and hosted events in Russia where Pirlo appeared with pro-Kremlin personalities.

Carlo Calenda from the centrist Azione party stated that anyone promoting Russia after 2022 should be barred from national positions.

In a Monday morning Instagram post Pirlo, the former Internazionale, Juventus, AC Milan and Azzurri midfielder, wrote that after learning he was no longer a candidate he felt compelled to address certain points.

He noted he had observed the recent debate with considerable regret and clarified that any professional work tied to his coaching role at United FC in Dubai remained strictly commercial and sporting in focus.

Assigning political significance to that work would wrongly attribute to him views he has never held, Pirlo added.

European Parliament vice-president Pina Picierno remarked over the weekend that Italian football urgently requires a shift in culture, ethics and management, yet selecting Pirlo moves in the opposite direction.

Russian ambassador to Rome Aleksey Paramonov offered support, expressing sadness that despite Pirlo's major contributions to global sport and Italy's worldwide image he now faces exclusion in his own country.

Questions about Pirlo's Fonbet and Russia associations grew sharper last spring when he joined a Fonbet gathering in Moscow, where he and former teammate Marco Materazzi signed autographs at Luzhniki Stadium.

Nationalist pro-Kremlin singer Shaman, known for backing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, also performed there.

Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych, previously disqualified from the Winter Olympics for a helmet image honoring athletes lost in the war, pointed out the Luzhniki event coincided with a major Russian strike on Ukraine.

Heraskevych further condemned Pirlo for appearing alongside Russian player Artem Dzyuba, who after the Ukraine conflict posted on social media about being proud to be Russian.

It is disappointing when childhood heroes become figures of moral failure, Heraskevych observed.

The situation now threatens to involve new FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini, in the role only since 11 July, with Italian outlets suggesting he may step down over the collapsed Pirlo appointment.

Maldini and adviser Leonardo, a former AC Milan teammate, were assigned to identify a new coach for Italy's Nations League group featuring France, Belgium and Turkey this autumn before pursuing Euro 2028 qualification.

The Italian football world continues deep reflection after the side missed a third World Cup earlier this year, with the April penalty loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina prompting coach Gennaro Gattuso's exit and broader FIGC changes.

Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti were both approached without success earlier this month before Pirlo.

Italian media report that Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini, who guided Italy to Euro 2020 success before the Qatar World Cup miss and his abrupt departure to coach in Saudi Arabia, are now among those under consideration.