Rome, July 27 -- Former Italian footballer Andrea Pirlo has confirmed that he is no longer in the race to become the head coach of Italy's men's national side, with his partnership with a betting company derailing his appointment after he had initially emerged as a strong contender.

Pirlo had emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Gennaro Gattuso after high-profile options Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti reportedly turned down the opportunity to manage the four-time world champions. Gattuso stepped down after four-time champions achieved an unwanted hat-trick: of not being able to qualify for the FIFA World Cup after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The former AC Milan and Juventus stalwart was a strong contender after Guardiola...