"This is hypocrisy!" Pirlo explodes over scandal. Is he to blame himself?

Pirlo doesn't want to lose his national team job.

Details: According to Corriere della Sera, Andrea Pirlo labeled the controversy surrounding his partnership with a Russian betting company—and his potential appointment as Italy’s head coach—as politically motivated. The coach saw hypocrisy in the criticism and questioned why, in that case, the World Cup was held in the USA—a country at war with Iran.

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Earlier reports stated that negotiations to appoint Pirlo as national team manager stalled due to his contract with the Russian bookmaker Fonbet. The Italian has served as the company’s global ambassador since October last year.

Pirlo’s candidacy was publicly criticized by European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno. According to her, Pirlo has repeatedly used his influence to normalize the Russian regime by participating in events used by Kremlin propaganda, even as Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine.

For now, Pirlo’s appointment has not been officially confirmed. The Italian Football Federation has also refrained from commenting on reports of a possible deal with the coach.

It’s worth noting that Pirlo became a world champion with Italy in 2006 and, as Juventus manager, won both the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.

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