Paolo Maldini broke his silence and finally spoke before everyone about the reasons that led him to leave his position as technical director of the Italian Football Federation, a decision that sparked major controversy.
Maldini was appointed as the new technical director of the Italian Football Federation, before leaving the Azzurri after a very short time, when the former defender submitted his resignation.
Maldini’s resignation from his position as technical director of the Italian Federation came after Andrea Pirlo was not appointed as the new head coach of the Italian national team, with the decision instead made to bring back Roberto Mancini to lead the squad.
Several candidates had been considered to coach the Italian national team in recent weeks, including Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, and, of course, Pirlo.
Maldini admitted in statements reported by Goal that he had truly lost confidence in the president of the Italian Federation, Giovanni Malago, who opposed the appointment of Pirlo as Azzurri coach.
Maldini said: “The agreements with the Italian Federation were reviewed, and I had no choice but to submit my resignation in the end, or rather, not to sign a four-year contract that was due to begin at the start of August. There are no longer any factors of trust.”
He added: “Malago contacted me at Easter, and I showed him my willingness to help. The matter was not merely about rebuilding the Italian national team; we also had to rebuild Italian football. We created the position of technical director, a role that did not previously exist. Leonardo also possessed great organizational skills, but after reviewing these agreements, there was no solution other than to resign.”
Read also: Ancelotti explains why he refused to coach Italy before Mancini was appointed
Regarding the negotiations for Italy’s new coach, Maldini clarified: “At the beginning I asked Malago who would choose the coach. He replied: ‘You choose the coach and I approve,’ as that was the agreement.”
He continued: “At the league association I explained our project, which was based on two different paths: rebuilding Italian football requires time and also requires a new mentality.”
Maldini confirmed that everything turned for the worse once negotiations began with Pirlo to become Italy’s new coach, adding: “Malago and Leonardo called me to tell me, ‘In my opinion, we cannot sign Pirlo, and from now on I will be the one who chooses the coach and you must approve.’”
He went on: “If responsibility rests on my shoulders, what happened is unacceptable. There are no longer any conditions of the trust needed to work and succeed in such a huge task. We were present at Coverciano, but there was no system.”
He continued: “Having a figure like Claudio Ranieri with Italy is a great addition, but I fear the national team will be given far too much importance while rebuilding Italian football is not viewed with the same priority.”
He concluded: “There is something that will always hurt me inside. I took on a truly difficult task, but it turned into a dream of doing something positive for future generations. It is truly a pity.”
