Italy boss Cesare Prandelli will invite Simone Farina to train with his squad after the Gubbio player turned down an alleged bribe.
Italy boss Cesare Prandelli will invite Simone Farina to train with his squad after the Gubbio player turned down an alleged bribe.
Farina, a defender in Serie B, has told police investigating the latest match-fixing betting claims that he rejected the offer of €200,000 to fix the outcome of a Coppa Italia match against Cesena on 30 November.
Prandelli, whose side will face America in a February friendly, will now reward the player for his act of honesty.
“What he did was great,” the former Fiorentina tactician noted. “He showed everyone that he has got beliefs and guts.
“It's now up to us to support him because it is not easy to do what he did.”
It’s unclear whether Farina will only get the chance to train alongside the Azzurri or whether he could even be handed a first cap.
Gubbio chief Marco Fioriti has also praised the player, but insisted that Farina’s actions should be considered as an act of normality.
“This [Azzurri recognition] will be a very important reward, but what he did should be normal in the world of sport,” he warned.
“If we were to attach too much importance to what Farina did, I would be very worried as that would mean that there is an enormous amount of corruption in our world of football.
“This sport, however, is not run by criminals and betting syndicates.”