[Forza_Roma]

Francesco Totti: To be or not, Totti
Francesco Totti’s decision to bring a temporary halt to his international career has split the critics. Antonio Labbate reports on a saga that is threatening to jeopardise Italy’s Euro 2008 bid
Frustration would not have been an emotion felt by most at Marassi on that Sunday afternoon in November. After all, Francesco Totti had inspired Roma to a comprehensive 4-2 win at Sampdoria with what will inevitably turn out to be the goal of the season. While most in the arena stood up in pure admiration at not only the execution but also the audacity of his breathtaking volley, you could have forgiven Italy boss Roberto Donadoni – who was in the stands – for shaking his head in disbelief.

It was perhaps that performance more than any this season that underlined just how ludicrous and outrageous Totti’s decision to interrupt his international career is. While Donadoni continues to struggle in his bid to give the national side a new identity following Germany 2006, the Roma captain is a potential saviour who insists he’s not fit enough to play for club and country. It's a reason that he himself constantly contradicts, almost on a weekly basis, with his displays for his beloved Giallorossi.

The Totti-Donadoni affair is a messy one, even by Italian standards. One can understand why the No 10 asked for a brief break after his rushed comeback from a February ankle fracture to make the World Cup Finals, but it is clear that he is now back to his unrivalled best. And while Donadoni is ready to build his Azzurri side around him, the capital gem insists he’s in charge of his own destiny when it comes to national duty. They seemingly just don’t understand each other.

“When Totti is ready then I will decide to call him up,” said Donadoni after the Turkey friendly in November. “He needs to find some consistency and you journalists can continue making a drama out this, but when I think the time is right then I will include him in my squad.”

Totti didn’t exactly agree with such a statement. “There is plenty of time for me to return to the Giro Azzurro, but I am only thinking of Roma right now,” he hit back. “I’ll decide in the future whether to return or not. I don’t need to talk to anyone about this situation as I have already spoken to Donadoni, where we discussed everything. All I will say is that I won’t be back until the screws in the my ankle are taken out.” They aren’t set to be removed until September…

“My stance isn’t disrespectful to anyone, not at all,” continued Totti despite jibes from Italy teammates Massimo Oddo and Luca Toni. “I just don’t understand the polls and varied opinions about this whole situation, views from certain people who a little while ago considered me as a weight on the shoulders of the national side. I just ask to be left in peace.”

That request will clearly fall on deaf ears while Totti continues to treat the Azzurri set-up like a woman he can’t decide whether to date, marry or dump. He has a right to be respected, but the blue jersey he was so desperate to appear in during the summer is not one to be abused by false sentiment. At the end of the day, it should surely come down to one decision – he either wants to play for his country again or he doesn’t. The problem is that Totti seemingly does, but just not right now. It’s a problematic stance that helps nobody.

It’s easy to dictate morality from a distance, but Totti needs no reminding that he is at an age where he understands that he is a great player and that Donadoni is a Coach whose role requires him to pick the best. The former winger has the right to select whom he wants and Er Pupone, given that he hasn’t announced his international retirement, is required to respond to a call. Let’s not forget that Chelsea’s Claude Makelele has been forced to play for France despite announcing his retirement, or risk a two-match club ban for every international game missed. After all, shouldn’t it be an honour rather than a chore to represent the nation of your birth?

With a crucial European Championship qualifier against Scotland on the horizon, the Roman is needed more than ever by a national side that he still owes so much to. It was during Euro 2004 where he disgraced himself by spitting in the face of Denmark’s Christian Poulsen, while he was given the opportunity to win the World Cup, which perhaps would not have been afforded to less talented individuals. Previous boss Marcello Lippi stayed loyal to the attacker after his ankle break, waited for him and even shuffled his tactical pack during the World Cup so that his side could, at times, carry a clearly unfit Totti in their triumphant march to Berlin.

So what now? Suspending Totti as a result of his continual snubbing of Italy, as suggested by Michel Platini, would do nothing but inflame an already volatile and unwanted standoff. And with the Italian Football Federation in such a fragile state as being unable to intervene, it is now up to Totti and Donadoni to clarify the dilemma once and for all, as FIGC commissioner Luca Pancalli has admitted. “It is down to the relationship between Donadoni, a Coach who I have absolute faith in, and Totti, a champion we all recognise. I think all that is needed is some common sense.”

A resolution is required and quickly. While Totti’s critics can justifiably argue that he has never reproduced his club form on the biggest stage, Donadoni’s options are limited with an inconsistent Alessandro Del Piero plying his trade in Serie B and Antonio Cassano proving to still be a rebel without a ball. The more time Totti spends away, the greater the chance of resentment brewing within the squad – a group where teamwork and sacrifice were key ingredients in World Cup victory. A triumph in which we shouldn’t forget that Totti played his part…

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