Arrigo Sacchi insists he is grateful to Roberto Baggio and reveals ‘what exactly happened’ with the Divine Ponytail during the 1994 World Cup.
Sacchi’s previous article on La Gazzetta dello Sport caused controversy as former Italy striker Aldo Serena had accused the ex-Azzurri boss of being ungrateful to Baggio, who played a key role for La Nazionale in the 1994 World Cup.
Sacchi hit back at Serena in a new article for the pink paper, although he never mentioned the former Inter, Juventus and Torino forward.
“Somebody erroneously interpreted my words as an accusation against Baggio and a lack of gratitude for him. Far be it from me,” wrote Sacchi.
“I will always be grateful to the players who allowed me to reach that target, and I’ll be forever proud of that runners-up finish because it was the end of an extraordinary and difficult uphill path, which we completed despite thousands of opponents who rowed against us.
“Quite simply, I wanted to highlight that a penalty, actually three penalties, can’t make a difference when it comes to judging an experience.
“I was sorry to hear about the controversy after my latest Gazzetta article. In the tone, I felt an envy that I’d love to ban from human beings. Let me ask something: if the critics finished second at a World Cup, would they be proud?
“I want to tell you exactly what happened with Baggio who I’ve known for a long time, since his time in the Vincenza youth sector,” continued the ex-Azzurri boss.
“When I was appointed national team coach, Roberto was having highs and lows at Juventus, so I told him, ‘Come to the national team, and you’ll have fun!’ That’s what happened. Roberto was excellent in the World Cup qualifiers, but during the tournament, he had some physical problems that we tried to manage.
“He wasn’t fully fit at the beginning, but then he was extraordinary against Spain and Bulgaria in the semi-final.
“I can confess that I still regret not stopping him against Bulgaria. I’ve always considered him a great footballer and I’ve always tried to put him in the best condition. I have to say that he gave Italy and me all his energy.
“I’ve never blamed anyone and will never do so because a group and the common good stand above everything else.”