FIGC President insits Italy right not to boycott Israel game

FIGC President Gabriele Gravina admits he can’t understand those claiming that Italy should have boycotted their latest game against Israel: ‘Were we supposed to send them to the World Cup?’

Gravina issued a clear answer to fans claiming that the Italy national team should not have played their latest game against Israel, which the Azzurri eventually won 3-0.

There was tension in Udine before the game as a group of agitators attacked the police outside the stadium after a peaceful protest in the city centre.

“The clashes had not been announced and were caused by individuals who had nothing to do with the pro-Palestine protesters. It seemed to be an organised gang that only wanted to destroy things,” Gravina said at a press conference on Thursday, via TMW.

“I believe that those who said the game should not have been played said a big nonsense. Were we supposed to lose the game by default, get a point deduction and send Israel to the World Cup? I struggle to understand this. We make football, and we must unite.”

Only 10,000 tickets were sold for the game, and the stadium’s capacity was reduced to 16,000 from 25,000 for security reasons, but Gravina insisted that the atmosphere during the game was ideal.

“The environment inside the stadium was one of joy and serenity. There were winners and losers, but we’ve always been on good terms with the Israeli management,” he said.

“It might be a sign of destiny, but the game was played after the suspension of a conflict that seemed endless.”

Gravina, who is also serving as the UEFA vice-president, admitted that Europe’s governing body will have to make assessments regarding the format of World Cup qualifiers.

“I’m not aware of any change in the format, and I believe we have to wait for the end of these qualifiers to learn a lesson from them,” he concluded.

“We’ll need to make assessments on this matter.”