[Olympics] Azzurri friendly called off

Italy's Olympic side's friendly against local Chinese outfit Guoan has been cancelled due to security fears.

Pierluigi Casiraghi's men drew 1-1 with Romania in their final test before leaving for China.

After winning the Toulon Tournament, hopes are high for the next breed of Italian talent, but they will face stiff competition from the likes of Brazil and Argentina, who have called more heavily upon overage stars.


Italy had been scheduled to take on a side from Guoan this afternoon at 3pm by way of preparation for their Group D opener against Honduras on August 7.

However, the FIGC has confirmed that the test has been abandoned because the Olympic torch in moving to Qinhuangdao today and will require a heavy security presence.

Casiraghi's men will undergo a routine training session today and there are no plans to rearrange the friendly.

Source: C4 Football Italia