Italy v England may be worth watching tomorrow evening.
After Italy slumped to a 2-2 draw with Bulgaria on Saturday, manager Antonio Conte was subject to death threats.
And in a surprising turn of events, much of the hatred towards the new boss is being directed towards him by fans of his former club, Juventus.
The Azzurri host England tomorrow night in a friendly at Juventus Stadium in Turin, and it’s expected the former Juve boss is going to get a frosty reception from the fans that used to cheers his name, after one of their midfielders Claudio Marchisio picked up an injury training with the national team during the week.
Speaking to an Italian radio station, FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio said: “He received death threats on the internet.
“All these things have been said on social networks and he feels vilified for something that is not his fault. The FIGC stands by him.”
John Elkann, the president of the holding company which controls Juventus, had hit out at Conte’s training methods, climing he would be remembered as a manager famous for injuring his players.
But the Italy manager hit back at Elkann in his press conference after the draw with Bulgaria, claiming that his methods were never questioned when he was at the club.
“I wonder why Elkann didn’t ask me that when I was at Juventus? We don’t work hard, we work well.
“His [Marchisio’s] injury was absurd and inexplicable. He hurt himself while warming up, running without the ball.”
Conte’s divorce from his former club has been bitter, despite playing more than 400 times, and managing them to three Serie A titles in a row between 2011 and 2014.
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