subject to typos or omissions...no balotelli??!!

[Me]

Yep

[Gamma]

well then hopefully they would score more than balotelli...anyway my larger point is that i believe even if he statred and was in mid group, he would not be called as that would not be a popular decision in italy.

germany has done it, russia has done it and even poland has done it...england may have done it too...but '86 remains a blemish on them...somehow however i don't see italy doing it!

[Me]

well then hopefully they would score more than balotelli...anyway my larger point is that i believe even if he statred and was in mid group, he would not be called as that would not be a popular decision in italy.

germany has done it, russia has done it and even poland has done it...england may have done it too...but '86 remains a blemish on them...somehow however i don't see italy doing it!

Miccoli has played better and scored many more and has not been selected.
Their coach is Lippi, who doesn't care what the public thinks. He picks who he wants and is very stubborn about it. Balotelli was leading the line for the youth teams and the Italian media had high hopes for him. It is after the juggling infront of opponents, episodes when being substituted etc when the media turned against him.

Furthermore, he is not the first black to play for Italy. Matteo Ferrari prior to his early injuries was seen as on of the next Italian greats to run their defense. Even after those injuries, he made the squad a few times and played games. Liverani also played for Italy.

[Gamma]

mi respect yuh opinion...gerald asamoah, emanuel olasibide, i forget the russian rep....., and balotelli are black africans......i wonder if liverani and ferrari were subject to monkey chants?

i agree he has done himself no favours, but is kinda like misslondon seh...black people can be "british", but they can never be "english"

[Me]

mi respect yuh opinion...gerald asamoah, emanuel olasibide, i forget the russian rep....., and balotelli are black africans......i wonder if liverani and ferrari were subject to monkey chants?

i agree he has done himself no favours, but is kinda like misslondon seh...black people can be "british", but they can never be "english"

Liverani was racially abused by Lazio and their ultras. and that is a team he played for.

Santacrocce is the leading Under 21 defender (has been called to Senior team camps) and he is black. Stefano Okaka Chuka leads the attack for the Under 21 team and he is a straight African.

Keep in mind that before Balotelli's actions, the media was calling for him to be included in the senior team given his performance with the Under 21s. A lot of Italians will not like it, but coaches like Lippi and other stubborn top coaches couldn't care less.

[Gamma]

ok...the the sum substance of your post is that racism would not prevent any of them from playing on the senior team?

hope you are right.

[Me]

Unless they get a coach who is a Lazio type, then no that will not prevent any from being called, just as it didn't prevent Liverani and Ferrari from being called and just as it is not stopping Casirghi from calling Balottelli, Okaka and Santacrocce at the youth level.

[Zeppo]

Balotelli was never going to be on this squad. Anyone who thought he was simply hadn't been paying attention.

[Zeppo]

Miccoli has played better and scored many more and has not been selected.

Miccoli suffered a partial tear of his ACL last weekend, so no matter what Lippi though of him (and no, he still doesn't fancy him) he wouldn't have gone to South Africa.

[Assasin]

Maybe if him did a watch himself him woulda realise.