Italy’s Euro defeat, Malagò "I thought I was on ‘Candid Candid’"

“Faced with the defeat against Switzerland I thought I was in an episode of ‘Scherzi a parte'”: thus the president of CONI, John Malago, who in an interview with Corriere della Sera pointed the finger at everyone, including coach Spalletti and FIGC president Gravina, for the disastrous European Championship of the Azzurri. “I have witnessed defeats, obviously,” he observed, “in individual sports it can happen that the tennis player or swimmer on duty on the day of the match, due to a physical or mental problem, has a terrible performance. But in a team sport, with the possibility of making five substitutions out of eleven, the scene seemed unbelievable to me.”

“The players on the pitch conveyed a sense of frustration and humiliation”said Malagò, “it seemed like they didn’t even notice, because usually if you’re in difficulty you get carried away by the competitive spirit, instead they were just amorphous. They never gave the impression of putting their heart and soul into it. Spalletti’s responsibility? Of course, after all he was honest in admitting that he made a mistake and that the job of a selector is different from that of a coach. What a shame: after Zaccagni’s goal against Croatia in the 98th minute and that highway in the good part of the scoreboard it seemed that we were in the best possible situation”.

Regarding the position of the coach, Malagò recalled that “those who now call for his resignation forget that last year they considered Spalletti the best coach available: let’s also consider that after the Naples interlude he would have had more attractive opportunities from an economic point of view”. “But if Luciano now says he is ready to get back in the game to demonstrate that he can obtain better results, who should make the decision to replace him? Perhaps the federal leaders who are the first to be questioned?”, Malagò asked.

The number one of CONI reported having spoken with the president of FIGC, Gabriel Gravina: “I took the liberty of telling him that he could not drag out this situation: the air has become unbreathable. Before this national tragedy, the federal elections should have been held between February and March of next year. Instead, he called them for November, at the first available date. Those who ask for the resignation must know that, when a president leaves, the Council ceases to function, which, pending new elections within ninety days, exercises the functions of ordinary administration. Whoever arrives will take his responsibilities and will decide whether to give Spalletti his trust or make other evaluations”.

“I think that when faced with defeat, the first factor that must emerge is self-criticism and starting from there. It is too easy to look at the responsibilities of others. Once again, sport teaches us to take responsibility directly and not to transfer it”: these are the words of the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, who spoke during “Non Stop News” on RTL to comment on Italy’s elimination.

“I was in Berlin and so I experienced first-hand the bitterness of a defeat, of an unconditional surrender that was not only sporting but also moral,” Abodi explained. There was no reaction, there was no flasha look of those that in sports are seen especially in difficult moments, we must bring out the moral strength that the blue shirt must inspire and that those who wear it must be able to represent. The game is now over, we have returned home, but the thing that surprised me is the search for responsibility from others”he concluded.