Mario Balotelli among Italy squad for Euro 2012

 

Reuters
Wednesday 30 May 2012 11:18 BST
Comments
Mario Balotelli (Italy) There can be few players in the history of the game for whom the word hothead has been more appropriate. Mario Balotelli, Italy's young forward, has been making headlines all season and, to the ever-increasing dismay of
Mario Balotelli (Italy) There can be few players in the history of the game for whom the word hothead has been more appropriate. Mario Balotelli, Italy's young forward, has been making headlines all season and, to the ever-increasing dismay of (GETTY IMAGES)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Defender Andrea Ranocchia and forward Mattia Destro were left out of Italy's 23-man Euro 2012 squad today but centre back Leonardo Bonucci was included despite the match-fixing crisis engulfing the country.

Coach Cesare Prandelli, who on Monday was forced to drop Domenico Criscito after the left back was warned by police that he was being probed in a fix investigation, whittled his squad down from 25 ahead of UEFA's deadline for the June tournament.

Inter centre back Ranocchia's exclusion means Bonucci could well start their Euro 2012 Group C opener against holders Spain in Gdansk on June 10.

Bonucci's name has been mentioned in testimony during the match-fixing probe but he has not been formally put under investigation and has denied wrongdoing.

The Italian soccer federation has said it is happy with the Juventus defender's inclusion.

Italy will also face Croatia and Ireland in Ukraine and Poland.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St Germain)

Defenders: Ignazio Abate (AC Milan), Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino)

Midfielders: Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Alessandro Diamanti (Bologna), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris St Germain), Antonio Nocerino (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)

Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Manchester City), Fabio Borini (AS Roma), Antonio Cassano (AC Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in