Del Juve 1 Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Lilian Thuram criticised both the Italian fans and France boss Raymond Domenech for the pre-match tension. “I love being in Italy.†The San Siro crowd drowned out the French national anthem before kick-off, but the two sets of players kept fair throughout and Thuram left the field embracing former Juventus teammate Fabio Cannavaro. “Unfortunately there are people with no respect, but we know more importantly that between the players there is a great deal of respect,†said the Barcelona defender. The tension was caused by Domenech, who accused Italy of “buying the referee†in a 1999 Under-21 tie, while Lassana Diarra called the Azzurri “a nation of cheats, provokers and racists.†“I think that at times the Coach makes mistakes in his comments and he was wrong to say those things,†noted Thuram. “I played in Italy for 10 years and am now in Spain, but to come back here made my heart bleed. I do love being in Italy. “It is true the Coach was in the stands, but like the team the staff is a team effort and they tried to do his work.†France seemed content throughout to go for the goalless draw and achieved their aim with precious few shots on goal. “This was a game we could not lose and it was the same for Italy, so it was a very blocked off match that neither side wanted to run risks.†Next Wednesday will be decisive in Group B, as France face second-placed Scotland and Italy travel to fourth-placed Ukraine. “We want to beat Scotland and hope Italy can also qualify for Euro 2008, as the European Championships without Italy and France would be a very different tournament.†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boab 73 Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Nice of him to say that. Though Lillian will retire probably soon from International football, so we're not looking at an outspoken 20 year old here....like me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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