[Big A]

Bottom of the group Italy becomes the 2nd former champion to be knocked out at the first round in World Cup 2010. They did even worse than NZ in their group.

[Peptobismol]

Azurris matches are always boring to watch. And it's not even the knockout stage yet.

[doctorzlo]

Notice the decline of the European soccer over the years as they bring in more FTrash. Peesai is going the same way in every sphere from living standard to productivity to service quality. Of course, the Familee heck care cos they are only interested in perpetuating 1 Familee rule and filling their own coffers.

[LottiFurmann]

Bottom of the group Italy becomes the 2nd former champion to be knocked out at the first round in World Cup 2010. They did even worse than NZ in their group.

I thought they won the previous world cup? How come they became so shite within four years?

[softy54534]

I thought they won the previous world cup? How come they became so shite within four years?

They "dive" too much during their game. If you watch the match against the kiwis, the penalty was a dive. A team that depends on acting skills rather then playing a fair game deserves to be knocked out. A team that "cost" 10 times against its opponent but could only draw against the "amateurs" deserved to be out. Even in the last world cup, the drew against Australia because of a "dive".

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/fifa-wo...ly-money-talks

All Whites-Italy, money talks
By TONY SMITH in Johannesburg - Stuff Last updated 05:00 20/06/2010

Some say money isn't everything but it reflects the gap between the All Whites and Italy, New Zealand's World Cup rivals tomorrow in Nelspruit.

The Italians likely lineup boasts four players who were part of the squad which won the 2006 World Cup final in Germany.

Captain Fabio Cannavaro - at his fourth World Cup finals - heads a starting 11 worth a cool $313 million on the international transfer market.

Ryan Nelsen is the most highly valued of the All Whites at $6.5m and his team's combined worth is just under $20m with strikers Chris Killen, Rory Fallon and Shane Smeltz and man of the moment Winston Reid, the Denmark-based defender who scored Wednesday's winning goal against Slovakia, as the only players above the $1m mark.

Market values (as listed on www.transfermarket.co.uk).

ITALY

Goalkeeper: Federico Marchetti (Calgliari) $21m

Defenders: Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan): $7.6m

Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) $52m

Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus) $9.4m

Domenico Criscito (Genoa) $21m

Midfielders: Simone Pepe (Udinese) $16.8m

Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma) $65m

Claudio Marchisio (Juventus) $29.5m

Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina) $34.1m

Strikers: Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus) $28.4m

Antonio Di Natale (Udinese) $28.4m

Total value: $313.2m (starting XI only, not including injured superstars Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo, both valued at around $40m.

ALL WHITES

Goalkeeper: Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix) $852,000

Defenders: Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland) $2.3m

Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers) $6.5m

Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town) $568,000

Midfielders: Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix) $852,000

Simon Elliott (unattached) $473,000

Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City) $947,000

Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix $852,000

Strikers: Chris Killen (Middlesbrough) $1.9m

Rory Fallon (Plymouth Argle) $2.8m

Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast United) $1.5m

Total value: $19.5m

[Drugmachine]

mama mama mia....ITALIANO!!! the Italian team need someone to make them an offer they can not refuse...Vicenzo..come kiss my ring!!

[Beerinkol]

I thought they won the previous world cup? How come they became so shite within four years?

Minister blames immigrants for Italy exit

June 25, 2010
jQuery.getScriptCache('http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/c/?js=espn.tools.r3.js', function() { espn.core.init.tools(801913,'http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/801913/ce/uk/'); });

As the fallout from Italy's humiliating World Cup exit starts, politicians have jumped on the bandwagon, with Roberto Calderoli, a minister who belongs to a right-wing anti-immigration party, accusing "luxury immigrant" footballers as being the cause of the crisis.

"They are paid millions, have legs made of jelly and are short of breath," ranted Calderoli. "This defeat brings the torment of our national side to an indecorous and predictable end.

"Italy's premature elimination is merely the result of an insane sports policy which has seen the league, the cup and the Champions League being won by teams who do not have a single Italian, including the coach.

"Unfortunately for [Italy coach Marcello] Lippi, luxury immigrants can't play for the national side and today's result is the logical consequence of this fact. We need to get our own home-grown lads playing in our clubs."

Piergiorgio Stiffoni, a Northern League senator, compared Lippi with France's disgraced coach Raymond Domenech, saying he had "lots of arrogance and nothing more". He added: "To come back to Italy the team does not deserve a business-class flight. If there were a trans-African train they should come back with that."

Earlier this week Umberto Bossi, Italy's federal reforms minister, was forced to apologise after suggesting Lippi's team would bribe their way into the last 16 of the World Cup.

[LottiFurmann]

This time Italy do not have Paulo Rossi.

[tgs]

This time Italy do not have Paulo Rossi.

Hahaha. That was in 1982 bro, 28 years ago.
Since then, there have been 6 world cups with Brazil winning 2, Argentina 1, Germany 1, France 1 and even Italy winning again in 2006.
Frankly, Lippi should have brought either Totti or Del Piero along, someone who can link the midfield with the attack. And Cannavaro and Zambrotta are way over the hill.

[Beerinkol]

Hahaha. That was in 1982 bro, 28 years ago.
Since then, there have been 6 world cups with Brazil winning 2, Argentina 1, Germany 1, France 1 and even Italy winning again in 2006.
Frankly, Lippi should have brought either Totti or Del Piero along, someone who can link the midfield with the attack. And Cannavaro and Zambrotta are way over the hill.

Wow you old people really have a good memory. How old are you guys? 1982???

[Drugmachine]

Wow you old people really have a good memory. How old are you guys? 1982???

You just started watching world cup ?

[Paul Bunyan]

Wow you old people really have a good memory. How old are you guys? 1982???

The people here are mostly somewhere above middle age in which mid life crisis will strike them anytime.

From the way they post, i roughly know that they are not people who are that current in style and behavior. They are those who are ready to take a stroll by the park every morning and think and talk about their good old past.

[9mm_fan]

The people here are mostly somewhere above middle age in which mid life crisis will strike them anytime.

From the way they post, i roughly know that they are not people who are that current in style and behavior. They are those who are ready to take a stroll by the park every morning and think and talk about their good old past.

Football chronicles, magazines, DVDs, Wikipedia, YouTube footages are aplently nowadays. Many teenage football fans know and can tell you stories all the way back to Pele and Johan Cryuff as if they were there.

[Ifroham4]

Wow you old people really have a good memory. How old are you guys? 1982???

Miss Young Lola,

Yes. I am 69 years old now. Do you want to do a 69 with me ??

[Big A]

Football chronicles, magazines, DVDs, Wikipedia, YouTube footages are aplently nowadays. Many teenage football fans know and can tell you stories all the way back to Pele and Johan Cryuff as if they were there.

but not here. no youngsters is interested old stuffs, only old pple do. many oldies here love to act young. only when a person that hit by mid-life crisis will think of old stuffs.