Italy flop, Gianluigi Donnarumma breaks silence (but doesn’t end well)
The national team’s defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalty kicks will force us to watch another World Cup, the third consecutive one, from the couch. Gennaro Gattuso’s Azzurri failed to give continuity to the victory against Northern Ireland and on Tuesday night they capitulated in the freezing cold of Zenica, a town about 70 km from Sarajevo.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, who dragged the team to the penalty kicks with his saves, was the first footballer to break the silence and entrusted his thoughts to social media: “Last night, after the match, I cried. I cried for the disappointment of not being able to take Italy where it deserves to be. I cried for the enormous sadness that I am feeling, along with the entire Azzurri group of which I am proud to be captain, and that I know, at this moment, you, the fans of our national team, are also feeling.”
“Words are of little use now, it is true. But one thing I feel strongly inside, and I want to share it with you: after such a big disappointment, you have to find the courage to turn over a new leaf, once again. And that takes a lot of strength, passion and conviction. Always believe, that is the engine to move forward. Because life knows how to reward those who give everything, without sparing themselves. And this is where we must start again. Together. Once again. To bring Italy back to where it deserves to be,” wrote the Azzurro fullback.
Alessandro Bastoni insulted and threatened
In the comments section several tried to console Donnarumma (among them his former teammate at PSG Marquinhos and Stefano Sorrentino) but many fans, who evidently have not yet sobered up, took the opportunity to add to their anger. “In order to believe in a project, it is necessary that the project itself exists, and I don’t see that this is the case,” one fan remarked. “We’ve been turning over a new leaf for three editions of the World Cup, in a while the book is finished,” wrote another.
At the end of the game lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina, FIGC President Gabriele Gravina appeared at a press conference and some of his statements sparked great controversy, particularly the answer given to those who asked him about the failures of soccer compared to all other blue sports, which are collecting successes never seen in the past: “Football is a professional sport, the others are amateur, we make reports on the basis of fairness.”
Gabriele Gravina will not resign: his words
Irma Testa, boxing champion, decided to retort through social media: “The real professionals are us, we compete and win for the jersey and for our country watching millionaire footballers make bad figures. I train more than a player earning less than their cooks or nannies. In spite of this, when I lose (those few times), I feel the weight of an entire nation that doesn’t ask me for anything anyway because they are busy watching soccer. Forza Italia, pasta and Toto Cutugno!” wrote the Tokyo 2020 Games bronze medalist.
