Inter Coach Roberto Mancini believes the likes of Franco Vazquez and Eder should not have been given Italy calls.
Both players have been included in Antonio Conte’s Azzurri squad for the fixtures against Bulgaria and England.
Eder was born in Brazil, while Vazquez is Argentinian by birth, however both qualify for the Nazionale through relatives, the latest in a series of so-called ‘oriundi’ – an immigrant of native ancestry.
Inter Coach Roberto Mancini believes the likes of Franco Vazquez and Eder should not have been given Italy calls.
Both players have been included in Antonio Conte’s Azzurri squad for the fixtures against Bulgaria and England.
Eder was born in Brazil, while Vazquez is Argentinian by birth, however both qualify for the Nazionale through relatives, the latest in a series of so-called ‘oriundi’ – an immigrant of native ancestry.
Notable oriundi include World Cup winner Mauro Camoranesi and current Azzurri midfielder Thiago Motta, but Mancini is not a fan of the system.
“The Italian national team must be Italian,” Mancini insisted as he arrived for a meeting of Serie A clubs.
“Those who aren’t born in Italy but have distant relatives shouldn’t be called-up, that’s my opinion.”
The former Manchester City manager also defended his Inter side, despite losing to Sampdoria last night.
“Yesterday we were unlucky, we deserved to win, but that’s football.
“Do I expect more? I’m not a magician, it takes time to set up a team. We’ve improved, but there’s definitely a lot more to do.
“I don’t care about parallels with [former Coach Walter] Mazzarri, the important thing is to make the team better and to quickly take them to the top.”