FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the referee of Italy vs. Brazil in 1982 admitted he was wrong to disallow Giancarlo Antognoni’s goal and urges Italian authorities to name the Stadio Olimpico in Rome after Paolo Rossi.
Italy vs. Brazil at the 1982 World Cup is one of the most thrilling games in football history and was won 3-2 by the Azzurri in the final second group stage game. The match was played at the Estadio Sarriá in Barcelona.
Paolo Rossi scored a hat-trick that allowed the Azzurri to qualify for the following stage. Socrates and Falcao put their name on the scoresheet for Brazil. Fiorentina legend Giancarlo Antognoni scored Italy’s fourth goal, which was wrongly disallowed for off-side by one of the assistants of referee Abraham Klein.
Infantino attended an event in Florence this morning in honour of Artemio Franchi and revealed a chat with the former referee: “He admitted that Antognoni’s goal was valid, so the result must be updated, the game finished 4-2,” Infantino said smiling, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb.
Italy won their third World Cup in 1982, beating Germany in a legendary Final at the Santiago Bernabeu. During today’s event, Infantino also urged Italian football authorities to name the Stadio Olimpico after Paolo Rossi, the hero of Italy’s 1982 World Cup who passed away in 2020.
“What are we waiting for? There isn’t another Italian who has given more to this sport, so, please…I’m saying this to all the directors here. Please, help us, I think Paolo deserves it.”