Antonio Conte will take a week off before beginning his Chelsea adventure and reveals why he could not continue on the Italy bench. “Nobody was on my side.”
The Azzurri were eliminated in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw with Germany, losing a sudden death penalty shoot-out.
“I made the decision to leave some time ago,” confirmed the Coach in his Press conference.
Antonio Conte will take a week off before beginning his Chelsea adventure and reveals why he could not continue on the Italy bench. “Nobody was on my side.”
The Azzurri were eliminated in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw with Germany, losing a sudden death penalty shoot-out.
“I made the decision to leave some time ago,” confirmed the Coach in his Press conference.
“I won’t deny there was a moment when I would’ve liked the opportunity to continue, but I was faced with certain events that I could not ignore.
“In all honesty, I saw nobody on my side, not even the journalists. It was always me waging war against everyone else. I always worked for the team, not for me.
“Some people liked to stir up trouble and get ratings. I never felt supported by anyone. I had the President of the FIGC who was always close, but only to a certain point.
“I made this decision and I’m disappointed. I hope that what we did can be built upon and that in future there is room for the Nazionale.”
Conte was referring to his constant battles with clubs to get time with the Italy players, including a February get-together that was abandoned because too many sides refused to release their stars.
Even the Coppa Italia Final between Milan and Juventus was not brought forward, meaning quite a few players had to delay training for the Euros.
In fact, Euro 2016 was the first time Conte actually got to work with the team for more than a few days at a time and the difference in performance was remarkable.
Meanwhile, Conte already has another job lined up in the Premier League with Chelsea.
“When I decided not to continue, I told the President and after that this great chance to join Chelsea arrived, so I accepted. My future is returning to club football.
“In a few days the new season begins and I would’ve preferred not to have any vacation time if it meant going further forward in the Euros.
“Now I will take a week to shake off the disappointment and then begin this new adventure. I know it will be difficult, but I like this type of challenge.”