The Azzurri chief insists that he axed the Zenit defender from his Euro squad because the pressure of the investigation would have been too much for the player to cope with.
Italy manager Cesare Prandelli has revealed the reason behind dropping Domenico Criscito from his squad ahead of the Euro 2012, and believes that the decision is in the interest of the team and the individual.
The Zenit defender was set to be included in the final 23-man selection for the upcoming European tournament, but was placed under investigation for his alleged involvement in match-fixing.
Prandelli stated that he decided to opt against selecting Criscito because the probe would have placed him under tremendous pressure that no man can handle, and insisted that the situation has put the left-back into a lot of turmoil.
The Azzurri chief stated that the investigation has also put a question mark on the availability of the Zenitchiki defender, as he could have been called by the police just before a game.
The former Fiorentina manager stated that the situation put a lot of pressure on him too, and revealed that he had to give himself a few minutes to cool his emotions before he could talk to the 25-year-old.
Prandelli stressed that the accusation does not mean that Mimmo is guilty, and stated that the former Genoa player should be given the opportunity to defend himself.
While talking to the press, the 54-year-old said:
“I’m not taking Criscito because he would have been under the type of pressure that no human can cope with. He’s just not calm enough. The other motive is that he could have been called up for questioning at any moment – even just before a game. For a few
minutes I was unable to talk to him. When the emotion cooled, I just thought of his wife and his son. We need to give Mimmo the ability to defend himself, to show that he has done nothing wrong.”
Criscito's room at http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Italy-c2926’s training headquarters in Florence was raided by police, who showed him a warrant to rummage around his room.
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