Press reports revealed an obstacle facing Pirlo in leading Italy's first national football team due to betting.
Pirlo tops the list of the most prominent candidates to coach the Italian national team, succeeding his compatriot Gennaro Gattuso, who departed after failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time.
The newspaper "Mundo Deportivo," citing Italian media, reported that the appointment of Andrea Pirlo as coach of the Italian national team may not proceed after some politicians criticized his agreement with Fonbet, a Russian betting company.
It stated that this situation could prevent Pirlo from coaching the Italian national team after he had been the closest candidate following the rejection of both Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.
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It noted that Pirlo is considered a global ambassador for Fonbet, Russia's largest betting company, and this partnership arose due to one of the company's main shareholders, Russian businessman Sergei Lomakin, owner of Dubai United FC in the Emirates, whom Pirlo coached last season.
It added that the Vice President of the European Parliament stated that Pirlo has normalized relations with Putin's regime, the President of Russia, and that appointing him as coach of Italy would be a grave mistake.
There are also many different political currents in Italy that have agreed against Pirlo taking charge of the national team due to his cooperation with Russia, which has occupied large territories from Ukraine.
In a related context, Pirlo's lawyer announced that his contract with Fonbet can be terminated immediately without any penalty, according to what was published by "La Gazzetta dello Sport."