The FIGC president intervenes on the controversial match in Bucharest: “I was sad to see the boys in pieces after the game”
Gabriele Gravina returns to “his” Sulmona, in Abruzzo, where he is an honorary citizen for the football commitment he has given to the territory. The FIGC president was a guest at the “Gran Galà Calcio Abruzzo” event organized by the LND, in which all the regional clubs for the 2022/23 season were awarded. Shortly before the ceremony, the president Gabriele Gravina stopped for a few minutes with the press. The main theme was obviously the France-Italy match of the U21 European Championship, in which the Azzurrini were penalized by the lack of VAR in the competition.
As vice president of UEFA, what do you think of the refereeing between France and Italy?
“I’ve always seen the positive side of things: we played a great game against one of the strongest teams in the world, but unfortunately we were penalized and the support from the VAR would have been important. I was sad to see the lads in shambles after the match , this time it unfortunately happened to us. Today we are about to tell a bad defeat, but we are men of sport and we do not create conspiracies that do not exist. Fortunately, UEFA announced today that the Var will be there from the quarter-finals. On Sunday we will face Switzerland and we will have to win to put the group back in order”.
Tonali in the Premier League, what does it mean for Italian football?
“Here too I see the positive side because Tonali isn’t the first player to go abroad and he won’t be the last. I’m sorry as an Italian, but I’m very happy for the boy. This operation should make us reflect: finance dictates the world of the market, I hope that in some time we too will have the economic strength to go and buy important players from abroad”.
What did the boys of the Under 20 World Cup demonstrate?
“They were all extraordinary, a group of talents who demonstrated the quality of the Italian academy. You have to believe in these youngsters and let them play, these guys shouted it to everyone with the exceptional performances they were protagonists of”.
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