ITALY manager Luciano Spalletti has delivered a passionate rant against an unwanted “addiction” held by his players.
But the former Napoli manager wasn’t discussing excessive partying or off-field antics, instead he was talking about the PLAYSTATION.
Spalletti addressed the media ahead of Italy’s upcoming fixtures against Venuzuela and Ecuador when he made it clear he wants his players to stop playing video games late into the night.
The 65-year-old coach expressed his dismay with the gaming habit that some of his players have and even suggested it has previously impacted their performance on the pitch.
Spaletti hinted that a lack of sleep was one of the reasons his side only drew 0-0 with Ukraine in November when they booked their spot in this summer’s Euros on the last day of qualification.
Just before the end of his press conference, he said: “We finished? Don’t you care about PlayStations? You don’t give a damn.
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“Even television programmes were made on it, including with former footballers.
“Do you think that it’s right that professionals wearing the Italy shirt don’t sleep at night to play and don’t give their best the next day.
“The level of a footballer can be seen in the 22 hours off the pitch. I don’t care what the players do, I care that at a certain time they try to sleep.
“Some players stayed up at Ukraine, it doesn’t suit me. At the European Championship we create a common playroom because it is important to fill the space.
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“At half past midnight, the only time, everyone is back in their room. Addictions are not good. Your profession should not be disturbed.
“Anyone who wants to waste time doesn’t come to the national team, there is no contracts that binds them to us.”
Italy will be hoping to defend their title as European champions after their penalty success over England back in 2021.
But there will be no Playstations in sight when the 23-man squad head out to Germany to battle to retain the trophy after Spaletti previously revealed he has banned them.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport last month he revealed he has replaced Playstations with HOMEWORK for the players on an evening ahead of the international tournament.
He said: “Some players must’ve believed that Spalletti barks and then doesn’t have bite, but instead they are wrong and now there are some things that must be made clear.
“From now on they leave their PlayStations at home and no longer bring them.
“I’ll invent a little game for them to think about to distract themselves at night.
“They come to me, and I give them homework to do in the evening if the daytime homework wasn’t enough.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
