Italy’s football legends Andrea Pirlo and Marco Materazzi appeared as brand ambassadors for a company close to the Kremlin at the Russian Cup final in Moscow. There was clear criticism for this, from the Ukrainian Olympian Vladyslav Heaskevych and the Italian Vice President of the European Parliament.
As several media outlets, including “Corriere dello Sport” and the “Guardian”, reported, Pirlo and Materazzi were star guests at the cup final in Moscow’s Lushniki Stadium last Sunday. The game was the highlight of the “Day of Football” orchestrated by Russia’s association. Pirlo and Materazzi, pillars of Italy’s 2006 World Cup winning team, presented themselves to the Russian fans, posed for selfies and signed autographs. Footage shows Pirlo alongside Artem Dzyuba, former captain of the Russian national team, who is considered a supporter of President Putin.
As the Guardian reports, the PR event with Pirlo on the sidelines of the game was organized by the major Russian betting company Fonbet. The 116-time national player signed a contract as an international brand ambassador with the company, which is said to have close ties to the Putin regime, last October. Fonbet also had a contract with AC Milan as a regional partner in Russia until 2023, before Milan ended the cooperation due to the war of aggression against Ukraine. Pirlo apparently had no reservations about doing business with the Kremlin-affiliated company.
Heraskevych on Pirlo appearance: “Morally bankrupt”
The advertising appearance of two big names in Italian football in Moscow provoked clear criticism. Vladyslav Heaskevych, Ukrainian Olympic skeleton champion and one of the most prominent activists against Russia’s rehabilitation in sport, shared video footage of Pirlo’s autograph session in Moscow on his X account. Heraskevych pointed out that one of the Russian military’s most serious attacks took place on the same day of the football party: “It’s sad to see childhood heroes becoming morally bankrupt people. A shame,” wrote Heraskevych.
The Italian Social Democrat Pina Picierno, Vice President of the European Parliament, addressed Italy’s World Cup legend Pirlo directly: “Money can apparently keep a sports champion signing footballs in Moscow while the regime there indiscriminately kills civilians and threatens European countries.”Picierno was quoted as saying: “What money can’t buy is integrity. And facing the world’s problems with decency and sincerity. Pirlo obviously didn’t understand this, it’s very unfortunate.”
Materazzi: “We are not here to do politics”
Pirlo and Materazzi defended their appearance with the usual cynicism in the industry: “We are here for sport and for the children,” Pirlo was quoted as saying by the Guardian. Italy’s midfield idol conjured up the “The unique power of football to bring people together and overcome boundaries.”
Materazzi, best remembered by football fans outside Italy as the man who provoked Zinedine Zidane into headbutting him with an insult in the 2006 World Cup final, struck a similar note to Pirlo: “We’re not here to play politics. We want to honor football and the people who love it.”
Materazzi and Pirlo were not the first 2006 world champions to be used for Russian advertising purposes: Francesco Totti also accepted an invitation from Moscow in April 2025 to a gala of the Russian sports betting industry.
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