Wednesday 3 June 2009

[Azzurri] Lippi would set Ferrara free

Italy coach Marcello Lippi says he will free Ciro Ferrara if Juventus decide to make his position permanent and revealed he has already decided on his FIFA Confederations Cup squad for South Africa.

Marcello LippiFerrara had been working as the chief of the Juve youth sector and Lippi's assistant for the Azzurri before the Turin giants appointed him as temporary coach.

Now with favourite Antonio Conte deciding to remain at Bari, it's likely Ferrara will be appointed full time.


"If he is lucky to be chosen by Juventus, then he will remain in Italy and not come with us to South Africa," Lippi told the media as the squad gathered for the first day of training in Coverciano.

"Ciro has been important for the Nazionale and will be again during this week."

Before the tournament in South Africa, there will be a friendly with Northern Ireland in Pisa on Saturday and the coach has called up eight debutants in his 20-man experimental squad.

A group of 13 others have already been confirmed for the Confederations Cup, and an additional 10 will join them from the Northern Ireland friendly squad.

"This call-up is a reward, but not necessarily a one-off. This can be a starting point for some of the players. I will evaluate 35 or 40 players to then choose the 23 that will come to South Africa.

"I have already decided the 10 who will take part in the Confederations Cup, but I will only announce them later on."

Federico Marchetti, Mattia Cassani, Andrea Esposito, Daniele Galloppa, Marco Biagianti, Giuseppe Mascara, Sergio Pellissier and Davide Santon were all called up for the first time.

"He is a professional and an interesting lad. Football is in his destiny," Lippi said of Inter's 18-year-old defender Santon.

The Confederations Cup is a test for both the eight teams competing and the South African organisers ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals.

"The World Cup has never been won by the side that lifted the preceding Confederations Cup," Lippi added.

"So if we win, great, if not… actually scrap that, I hope we don't win!"

[FIFA Confederations Cup 2009]

Source: C4 Football Italia

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