Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini says that he does not feel happy about foreign-based players being called up for the Italian national team.
Mancini was speaking after the latest Italian squad announced by manager Antonio Conte contained the two more players born in other countries. However, they have been naturalised as a result of spending a long time in Italy and also not been called up for their home country’s national teams. Several European countries have gone this route of adopting players and it is largely South American or African players.
Mancini is against this popular technique of drafting highly talented players into the national team. He feels that only players born in Italy should be allowed to represent the national team. It has been a questionable area in FIFA rules. The world football governing body allows players to represent one country at under 21 levels and choose for another country – if he is eligible – for the senior level. Further grey area in this rule comes when the national teams can be changed even after representing a senior level if the match is only a friendly and not a competitive one. Argentina-born Franco Vazquez and Brazil-born Eder are the two players discussed by Mancini in what he feels is a major controversy.
"The Italy national team should be Italian.Maybe we find some players in the Italy squad who are not Italian but only have some relatives here, but this is only my opinion.I think that an Italian player deserves to play in the Italian national team while those who were not born in Italy, even if they have [Italian] relatives, don't deserve it. We do so much to bring through young players and then we go and call up the foreigners [who are eligible to play] for Italy," said Mancini.