The new leadership project of the Italian Football Federation is in turmoil just sixteen days after its launch. Paolo Maldini and Leonardo have resigned from their respective roles as technical director and advisor of the Italian national team. According to Sky Sport, the two communicated their decision to FIGC president Giovanni Malagò, while a meeting was underway within the federation with components, leagues, and unions. The crisis stems primarily from the controversial candidacy of Andrea Pirlo as head coach of the national team. Pirlo has a commercial partnership with Fonbet, a major Russian sports betting company, which he entered in 2025 as a global ambassador. The connection sparked criticism due to the company's ties to the Russian economic world. Pirlo issued a statement saying he has always operated in full compliance with the laws of the countries where he worked and that the collaboration is exclusively commercial and sporting in nature, adding that attributing political meaning to it would mean attributing convictions he has never expressed and does not hold. He thanked Maldini and Leonardo for the trust shown in him, without mentioning FIGC president Malagò. The FIGC president will now need to identify replacements for both the technical director and the head coach. Several names have emerged as potential candidates for the coaching position, including Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini, the latter potentially returning after his European Championship victory in 2021. An attempt involving Thiago Motta as head coach reportedly did not materialize. For the technical director role, the name of Giorgio Chiellini has been mentioned, though he currently holds a position at Juventus. Malagò announced that a decision will come shortly. A reported exchange has also emerged between FIGC president Malagò and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi over the reputational fallout of the Pirlo case.