Maldini and Leonardo Exit Italian FA After Pirlo Appointment Collapses

What happened:

Watch the highlights:

Paolo Maldini and Leonardo have reportedly resigned from their roles with the Italian football federation after Andrea Pirlo’s expected path toward the Italy head coach job fell apart. The Guardian reported that Pirlo is no longer in the running for the role because of ties to a Russian betting firm, leaving the federation’s latest management reset without three of its most visible figures.

Maldini’s exit is especially abrupt. He had only been appointed on 11 July as technical director of the Italian federation, a role framed around helping rebuild the national side after Italy failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup finals. Sixteen days later, he has stepped down. Leonardo, the former Brazil international who had been brought in as Maldini’s adviser, has also reportedly left.

Why it matters:

This is not just a staffing wobble. Italy’s rebuild was already operating from a position of reputational damage after another missed World Cup, and the federation’s response was to bring in high-profile football figures who could give the project credibility. Losing Maldini so quickly removes a central symbol of that reset before the work has had time to produce visible direction.

The failed Pirlo appointment also raises governance questions. The reported issue is not tactical suitability or results history, but the breakdown of an appointment process around external commercial ties. That matters because national-team jobs depend on public legitimacy as much as coaching credentials. If the federation was close enough to Pirlo for this to trigger resignations, supporters and clubs will want clarity on how far the process had advanced and when concerns became decisive.

Tournament impact:

Italy’s immediate tournament concern is not a match result but planning stability. A national team trying to recover from three missed World Cup finals needs coherent decisions on coach selection, player pathway, and technical direction. Every leadership change compresses the timeline for building a squad identity and creates uncertainty for players who need to know what profile of football the next coach wants.

What to watch:

The next useful signal is whether the federation moves quickly to name a new head coach candidate and replacement technical structure, or whether it slows the process after this failed sequence. The identity of Maldini’s successor, if one is appointed, will show whether Italy still wants a powerful technical director model or reverts toward a more conventional federation-led setup.

Confidence:

Confirmed by the source: Pirlo is no longer in the running for the Italy coach role, Maldini was appointed technical director on 11 July, and Maldini and Leonardo have reportedly resigned. Still needing follow-up: the federation’s official explanation, the full status of Pirlo’s candidacy before it collapsed, and who leads the rebuild next.