2008 Olympics

[D-Kin]

Casiraghi eyes Olympic dream team Tuesday 8 January, 2008

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Azzurrini boss Pierluigi Casiraghi has surprisingly revealed that he wants some veteran stars to join his Under-23 squad for the Olympics.

Casiraghi will be called upon to name 18 players to travel to Beijing and only 15 of these must have been born after January 1, 1985.

This requirement allows the Monza-born Coach to call three overage players and he has set his sights high.

“It depends on Roberto Donadoni’s selections for Euro 2008 and obviously the priority goes to the younger players such as Alberto Aquilani and Giorgio Chiellini.

“But that doesn’t mean that I’m excluding some heroes like Pippo Inzaghi and Alessandro Del Piero. I’d also like Gigi Buffon and Luca Toni.”

The tournament will take place in Beijing between August 6 and 24 and many of Casiraghi’s decisions could be dictated by the decisions of players and clubs.

Italy took the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens after a 1-0 win over Iraq.

I like the idea of taking the likes of Aquilani and Chiellini, they need the international experience.

[D-Kin]

Totti turns down Olympics berth Saturday 12 January, 2008

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Francesco Totti has said it would “not be right” if he accepted an invitation to play for the Italian Olympic squad after his international retirement.

Although the Roma star has retired from the Azzurri scene, he could be one of three over-age players invited to join Pierluigi Casiraghi’s Under-21 side in Beijing.

“I don’t want to go to Beijing,” Totti told the TG1 news programme.

“The Olympic side and the Nazionale are the same thing and if I’m not going to Euro 2008 it wouldn’t be right to go to the Olympics.”

Casiraghi had said he would be interested in calling up several world class over-age players, including Luca Toni.

Meanwhile, Totti commented on the news that his former Roma boss Fabio Capello has taken on the England job.

“He was a great player and a great Coach, he will continue to be great with England as well. Wherever he has gone, he has always won.”

The Roma captain has spent his entire career in a Giallorossi jersey and aims to complete that era.

“My contract expires in two years and I hope to renew it as soon as possible.”

channel4.com - Football Italia

[D-Kin]

Abete gave his view on this summer’s Olympics where Italy will try and go better than last time’s bronze medal.

“I’m hoping that we have a competitive squad because the last Olympics in Greece was a great chance to show the quality of Italian football,” Abete maintained.

“We will be looking for another positive result after the third place under Claudio Gentile in 2004. There will be a lot of attention on the football and there will be full stadiums.

“Overage players? The technical decisions will be made by the Coach - his autonomy is fundamental.”

channel4.com - Football Italia

[dukeofdavinci]

Balotelli in Beijing rage
Friday 9 May, 2008

Inter teen star Mario Balotelli is furious that legal red tape has prevented him representing Italy at this summer’s Olympics.

The 17-year-old has been one of the revelations of the season and is seen as one of the peninsula’s most exciting prospects.

However, despite being born in Palermo, Balotelli isn’t able to become an Italian citizen until his 18th birthday on August 12, which is too late for him to be registered for the Olympic Games in China.

The problems have arise because he is the son of Ghanaian immigrants and has never been officially adopted by the Balotelli family, who were given custody of him by the courts when he was just three.

“The Italian law is unjust and needs to be changed,” the former Lumezzane man raged to the Corriere dello Sport. “I feel like a Second Division citizen.”

Balotelli has already snubbed the chance to represent Ghana because he wants to follow his Azzurri dream.

“Even having been born here, I am still not being recognised as a citizen and I find that to be enormously unjust,” he continued.

“I have turned down an invitation to play for Ghana because I want to wear the Azzurri shirt.

“The reason I did so is because I was born in Italy and I have always lived there, so I feel like an Italian.”

now thats a surprise.well still got loads of time to represent azzurri.

[sinoy1]

Hopefully Montolivo gets the call up if he's not picked for Euro 2008 obviously.

[D-Kin]

The team beat the Ivory Coast 2-0 in their first warm-up game before the tournament starts in August (technically they're competing in the Toulon Tournament).

Giovinco was the hero with both goals, one a freekick. Davide Bassi (Empoli) saved a penalty as well.

Italy U-23: Bassi; Motta, Coda, Dellafiore, De Silvestri; Galloppa (Guarente 71), Nocerino, Cigarini (Candreva 77); Giovinco, Osvaldo (Lanzafame 66), Pellè

channel4.com - Football Italia

We'll play the USA and Turkey in our remaining group games.

[llewelyn]

The azzurrini didn't play particularly well, especially in the first half, but obviously did enough to win.

While not his best performance, the man of the match was without doubt Giovinco.

Pelle did a lot better in the second half.

Nocerino struggled playing to the right of Cigarini.

Both Motta and De Silvestri played well.

I'm not sure if the squad was posted somewhere else, but here it is:

Guarente (Atalanta); Pelle' (AZ Alkmaar); Lanzafame (Bari); Acquafresca e Canini (Cagliari); Abate, Bassi, Giovinco, Marchisio e Marzoratti (Empoli); Osvaldo (Fiorentina); Bocchetti (Frosinone); Nocerino (Juventus); De Silvestri (Lazio); Cigarini e Dessena (Parma); Dellafiore e Motta (Torino); De Ceglie e Galloppa (Siena); Coda (Udinese); Alfonso (Venezia).

Candreva from Udinese replaced Acquafresca who pulled out with an injury.

[sinoy1]

No Cerci? Im pretty gutted at that.He's doing quite well in Pisa.Unless he's injured right now.

[D-Kin]

Azzurrini's third Toulon triumph Sunday 25 May, 2008

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Italy's Under-21 side have made it three wins out of three at the Toulon Tournament with a comfortable 2-0 triumph over the USA.

Having already overcome the Ivory Coast and Turkey, Italy came into this game with a place in the final four already assured and Coach Pierluigi Casiraghi took the chance to change the formation.

Sebastian Giovinco and Empoli teammate Ignazio Abate played behind Pablo Daniel Osvaldo in attack, while Venezia goalkeeper Enrico Alfonso was given the gloves.

Juve-owned wizard Giovinco was the star of the show once more and he nearly set up Abate for an opener, but his effort fizzed just wide.

It was Osvaldo who inspired the first goal as his incisive ball dropped to Abate and the former Milan youth coolly tucked it away.

Soon after, it was 2-0 when Giovinco found Osvaldo whose pinpoint ball was easily poked home by Parma’s Daniele Dessena.

Siena star Daniele Galloppa impressed again and nearly made it three with an effort that went agonisingly wide, but the game was more than safe.

Italy now face Japan in the semi-final on Tuesday May 27, which will probably be played at 7.45pm.

channel4.com - Football Italia

[D-Kin]

Fiorentina sporting director Pantaleo Corvino has asked Pierluigi Casiraghi not to select Riccardo Montolivo for the Olympics this summer so he can be used during the CL Qualifying Rounds.
channel4.com - Football Italia

[D-Kin]

It's been confirmed that Tommaso Rocchi will be the only overage player to go to the Olympics (up to three players over the age of 23 can be taken).
channel4.com - Football Italia

[Forza_Roma]

Rocchi is the only Lazio player that i don't despise. He plays with pride and is passionate. And he will be a good veteran to lead the younger players.

[dukeofdavinci]

the olympics...hmm im not been a big fan olympics since its always starts during the new season of football wch is wayyy more fun

[D-Kin]

Matarrese: We're going for gold Thursday 3 July, 2008

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Lega Calcio chief Antonio Matarrese is hoping Italy’s Olympic team can erase the memories of Euro 2008 by clinching a gold medal.

There has been a forlorn air in the peninsula since the Azzurri fell in the quarter-finals of the European Championship.

But Pierluigi Casiraghi has a powerful unit at his disposal for the trip to Beijing and his team are fresh from winning the Toulon Tournament.

“To win the Olympic Games won’t be easy, but football in our country needs a fresh burst of enthusiasm after the disappointment in Austria and Switzerland,” Matarrese roared at the unveiling of the new match ball.

“The Olympics is a great chance to do that and to be champions of the world and Olympic champions wouldn’t be at all bad.”

channel4.com - Football Italia

[D-Kin]

Italy’s provisional Olympic squad:

Abate (Milan), Acquafresca (Cagliari), Bocchetti (Genoa), Candreva (Udinese), Cigarini (Parma), Coda (Udinese), Consigli (Atalanta), Criscito (Genoa), De Ceglie (Juventus), De Silvestri (Lazio), Dessena (Parma), Giovinco (Juventus), Marchisio (Juventus), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Motta (Udinese), Nocerino (Palermo), Ranocchia (Arezzo), Rocchi (Lazio), Rossi (Villarreal), Russotto (Treviso), Sirigu (Palermo), Viviano (Brescia)


Casiraghi has also submitted a short-list of 15 other players who can be called into the squad:

Alfonso (Venezia), Bassi (Empoli), Curci (Siena), Andreolli (Vicenza), Canini (Cagliari), Marzoratti (Empoli), Pisano (Cagliari), M Rossi (Parma), Bolzoni (Inter), Galloppa (Siena), Guarente (Atalanta), Morosini (Vicenza), Lanzafame (Palermo), Osvaldo (Fiorentina), Pelle’ (AZ Alkmaar)