Italy, current European champions, will start the qualifiers for the euro 2024 next Thursday against England paying homage to Gianluca Vialli, who died in early January, said coach Roberto Mancini this Monday.
A former teammate of Mancini at Sampdoria and later a member of the coaching staff of the Euro champions in July 2021, Vialli died on January 6, aged 58, due to pancreatic cancer.
“I spoke with the players, for us it will be important to remember him, it’s like he was with us”, emphasized the Italian coach on the first day of training for the team.
“He had his importance and it’s not easy for us. We must try to play well for him too,” added Mancini, Italian champions alongside Vialli with Sampdoria in 1991.
The game against England will be Italy’s first since the death of the former striker, who had been the team’s head of delegation since 2019.
The players will wear a special shirt with a message to Vialli and, in addition, “a play of lights” will pay homage before the duel at the Diego Maradona stadium in Naples, informed the Italian Football Federation (FIGC, in its acronym in Italian).
Italy, which did not qualify for the 2022 World Cupwill also play Malta next Sunday, in a Group C that also features Ukraine and North Macedonia.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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