Gattuso: ‘They tell me I’m getting massacred in South America’

Italy national team head coach Gennaro Gattuso decided against saying too much more about the World Cup qualification process, which will almost certainly see Italy condemned to the play-offs for the third time in a row, as he says: ‘I hear they’re massacring me in South America’. 

Italy are second in UEFA Group I in World Cup qualification ahead of their final game against Norway on Sunday. The Azzurri will finish second in the group, barring an unfathomable nine-goal victory against the previously unbeaten Norway. 

Speaking after Thursday’s 2-0 win over Moldova, Gattuso explained that the qualification process ‘doesn’t seem right’. 

He pointed to the fact that it has previously been much easier for European nations to qualify, and has implied that it has become much easier for nations from other continents to qualify. 

“In 1994 there were two African teams in the World Cup, now there have to be many and it keeps expanding,” Gattuso said after the Moldova game on Thursday.

“In my day, the top team in each group would go through, plus the best runners-up. We’ve got 18 points, won six games, and still we have to go into another two matches to qualify. It doesn’t seem right.”

As well as the African nations that Gattuso mentioned, it has also been suggested that South American nations have an ‘easier’ qualifying process than teams in Europe. 

Italy are set to go to the play-offs, despite the fact that they have won six of their first seven games in World Cup qualifying. Paraguay, meanwhile, have already qualified having finished sixth in a 10-team group in South America, and have won seven games out of their 18 qualifiers. 

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is one player who has come out in defence of South American football after Gattuso’s comments. 

“They always play on perfect, wet pitches. They don’t know what it’s like in South America. They don’t know how it goes. There are other challenges that they don’t see in Europe,” he said.  

Gattuso, during his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s game against Norway, was asked if he had any more thoughts to add to the matter. 

He replied: “I don’t want to talk about it anymore because they’re telling me that I’m getting massacred in South America at the minute. We live in a world where we can’t say anything anymore.”