Antonio Conte sniped at clubs by noting “the Azzurri shirt is treated badly, but during these tournaments the love for Italy returns.”
The Nazionale have already secured top spot in Group E with a game to spare, having beaten Belgium 2-0 and Sweden 1-0.
They will play in the Round of 16 in Paris on Wednesday June 27 against Spain, Croatia or the Czech Republic.
Antonio Conte sniped at clubs by noting “the Azzurri shirt is treated badly, but during these tournaments the love for Italy returns.”
The Nazionale have already secured top spot in Group E with a game to spare, having beaten Belgium 2-0 and Sweden 1-0.
They will play in the Round of 16 in Paris on Wednesday June 27 against Spain, Croatia or the Czech Republic.
“At times the Azzurri shirt is treated badly, but the Nazionale is important and during these tournaments the love for Italy returns,” Conte told Rai Sport.
The former Juventus Coach hinted one of the reasons for walking away after just two years in the job was the lack of co-operation from clubs, who consider the Nazionale to be an inconvenience during the season.
Meanwhile, Conte renewed his appeal for Italy fans to wear blue and present a united front in the stands.
“Our objective is to transfer our passion, hunger, determination and enthusiasm to the fans. We want to overcome every obstacle, small or large.
“I hope that we can continue this march for as long as possible, a journey that started in the best way.
“I think it is very important for people to wear our colour, as it is so beautiful and it’ll help our players to see the fans in such numbers all in blue.
“It is only right to be proud of that, as blue is a wonderful colour, a powerful one. We did feel a little bit of envy at seeing the Sweden fans all in yellow.”