After Gennaro Gattuso stepped down following Italy's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, the role has head coach has been left vacant.
Pep Guardiola is said to have turned down the job despite leaving Manchester City this summer as the legendary manager aims to take a break from management after over a decade in the Premier League.
Pirlo has since become the leading candidate to take the job but reports this week state that key figures in the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Italian parliamentarians are now weighing up the fallout from Pirlo’s role as a global ambassador for Russian bookmaker Fonbet.
Pirlo, currently managing United Arab Emirates Pro League side United FC in Dubai, signed an ambassadorship deal with Fonbet in October in what is viewed as a controversial move.
The BBC state that Fonbet has sponsored several sporting events involving veterans of Moscow's war in Ukraine and has organised events in Russia at which Pirlo appeared alongside pro-Kremlin figures.
He appeared with former Italy teammate Marco Materazzi at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium during an event organised by the bookmaker and such ties have repotedly ruined his chances of managing his home country.
"After yet another defeat and another missed World Cup qualification, Italian football desperately needed a cultural, ethical and managerial revolution. The choice of Andrea Pirlo goes in the exact opposite direction," Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, said on social media.
Italian media have reported that Paolo Maldini, who accepted the technical director role earlier this month, could replace Pirlo as the leading candidate if he is ruled out of the race.
Pirlo defended his involvement with the company earlier on Monday in a post on Instagram as he stated the media should not "assign a political meaning" to his links to the Russian company.