Earthquake at the FIGC: Maldini and Leonardo resign.

Rome – A bolt from the blue, but only to a point. Paolo Maldini and Leonardo are saying goodbye to the Italian Football Federation. The news, released by a breaking news program on Sky Sport, has rocked the Italian football establishment just as a crucial meeting between federation president Giovanni Malagò and the various components of the movement, from the leagues to the unions, was underway at the FIGC headquarters.

Maldini thus steps down as Technical Director of the national team, while Brazilian director Leonardo steps down as advisor. The decision was made at the top and communicated directly to the Federation's president.

The background on the new Technical Commissioner

The departure was confirmed by Lega Serie A president Ezio Maria Simonelli, intercepted by reporters as he left the federal headquarters. His bitter comment revealed the underlying tensions surrounding the choice of the new Azzurri coach:

We learned of Maldini and Leonardo's resignations on TV, and we took note. Surprised? I'd say no, it was in the air. Maldini had chosen Pirlo for the bench, but he won't be the coach. I'm disappointed, because I think Maldini was a great choice and a person of enormous value; I would have liked, for the entire movement, for him to have stayed on board.

The crucial point would therefore have been the veto on the figure of Andrea Pirlo, the profile strongly promoted by the now former DT for the Azzurri leadership but which remained without the complete approval of the federation.

Picking the daisy for the bench

The departure of the Maldini-Leonardo duo leaves a significant operational and political void within the FIGC, precisely at the most delicate stage of its reformation. As for the name of the future Head Coach, the matter remains wide open. Simonelli, however, cut short the discussion, denying that alternative candidates were being considered during today's meeting: "We haven't mentioned any names," he concluded before leaving.

The hours are set to be tense as we determine who will take the reins of the blue project and how the federal government will fill the vacant executive positions.