Beirut: Paolo Maldini has resigned as technical director of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) after the collapse of Andrea Pirlo's expected appointment as Italy head coach, according to reports. Maldini and his adviser, Leonardo, stepped down just 16 days after the FIGC officially announced their appointments, broadcaster Sky Sport Italia reported on Monday.

According to Anadolu Agency, Pirlo stated earlier in the day that he was no longer a candidate for the position amid controversy over his ties to Russian betting company Fonbet. Although the FIGC had not formally named him, the former Italy, Juventus, and AC Milan midfielder had been widely expected to succeed Gennaro Gattuso.

Italian media had reported that Maldini was considering resigning if Pirlo's appointment failed to materialize. Maldini had been tasked with leading the search for a new national team coach after Gattuso stepped down following Italy's failure to qualify for a third consecutive FIFA World Cup.

According to Italian media, Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini are among the leading candidates to take over the Azzurri.