Arrigo Sacchi insists people ‘shouldn’t be surprised’ that Milan fans jeered Gianluigi Donnarumma playing for Italy. ‘Betrayal has to be repaid in kind.’
The goalkeeper came up through the Rossoneri youth academy, made his Serie A debut at the age of 16 and was a fan favourite, but refused to sign a new contract and joined Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent this summer.
When he returned to San Siro for the first time, it was while representing Italy against Spain in the Nations League semi-final.
He was loudly jeered and insulted by Milan fans in attendance, a reaction that prompted largely condemnation, but not from former Rossoneri and Italy coach Sacchi.
“I have never jeered anyone in my life, but at times people do go looking for these insults,” said Sacchi during the Festival dello Sport event in Trento.
“Evidently, there was a betrayal. In football and in everyday life, betrayal has to be repaid in kind. So let’s not be shocked by a few jeers.”
Sacchi also praised current Milan coach Stefano Pioli for giving ‘an identity’ to the squad, noting that playing good football with largely a very young team is ‘almost a miracle.’
The Rossoneri are still unbeaten in Serie A after seven rounds, with 19 points from an available 21.
⚽️ #Sacchi: “I fischi a #Donnarumma? I tradimenti vengono ripagati”
“A volte le persone se li vanno a cercare. Non meravigliamoci”https://t.co/YX0BvDZHSW— RaiSport (@RaiSport) October 10, 2021
Yes sir!
Well sail Mr Arrigo Sachi, people condemning it are hypocrites cause they will do worse if they are in Milan shoes.
PSG V Milam no problem, but not the national team. This is the same as Napoli fans cheering on Maradona at the 1990 world cup. Sorry but ITALY comes first!
Yup
Dumb fans. As JC said above, leave it for club football. Jeering your national team player is hardly beneficial to the team you want to win in that game – Italy.
Sacchi – the one who lived in his own past glory and now believes he’s the expert of everything. Just STFU! These Milanisti booed the national team, not PSG! Since when Donnarumma betrayed Italy? Let’s not forget Sacchi was the guy who froze Baggio out, that his 94 Italy team was clueless under his guidance and was lucky to get into the final thanks to Baggio, and now he wants to pretend he’s THE expert.
“He was loudly jeered and insulted by Milan fans in attendance, a reaction that prompted largely condemnation”
Condemnation from whom? People who are waiting for an article by Raiola’s buddy in Corriere dello Sport to join the bandwagon. Like we care …
Milan fans did nothing wrong. It was justified. At least there are people like Sacchi who can use their own minds instead of others. And we honestly don’t care one bit what others might think. If you can’t understand what happened you don’t understand football.
Pretty surprised this article is even published here, since Football-Italia staff are so butthurt over the whole thing. They allowed all kinds of insults by trashy people to Milan and their fans in the last week.
Milan fans insulted no one, and they didn’t boo Italy. All the players knew what’s going on. They cheered Italy but jeered at their former player, who has betrayed the club.
A few days ago somebody made a comment that Gigio will face this treatment all over the country – HA!
Well. That proved to be untrue as some in the crowd at the Allianz today applauded him when he was in possession of the ball.
The rest of Italy aren’t fighting the battles of butthurt bilanisti.
As for Arrigo Sacchi, a clown. Never made it as a footballer, was blessed to Manage a great club team that spent money wisely, and had Baggio save his ass in 1994. He and Fabio Capello need to move on.
Bravo, Mister Sacchi.
i could see if Donnarumma got away with murdering someone like OJ Simpson. but just stupid and classless by Milan…
dont forget when Paolo Maldini played his final farewell home game most fans jeered cuz Milan lost 3-2. ingrates.
even Pep Guardiola then coach of Barca hinted his disgust by saying id sign Maldini right now if he change his mind on retirement.
Italy should not play in Milan for a while . That was a toxic environment, not surprised they lost. If that game was played in rome Spain doesn’t win that game .
Just miserable people angry Gigi didn’t want to be miserable with them.
Don’t worry you’ll eventually get tired of whistling at the same NT GK for the next 10+ years
He deserve it didn’t matter he play for Italy or anyone else. He is traitor
These old Italian coaches treated Italian players like they bought a horse, sorry times are a different, geezer. He just mad that players have more power than they did in 80’s and 90’s.
These clubs are now owned by foreigners, who’s first concern is money.
He doesn’t have to sign with a club if he isn’t happy there, a player has a good ten year career to make money and to set them up for for life after football. While coaches have 30 year careers, so to take a hike geezer.
Sacchi wasn’t so biased for Milan players in 94’ World Cup, leaving players like Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, Giuseppe Bergomi and Zenga. Italy probably would had another World Cup.
He was wearing the Azzurri shirt , for an Italian that should come before anything else on the field. If they couldn’t cheer for him they could’ve STFU.
.. so your club comes before your country. Then AC Milan fans should jeer when Chisea or Barella have the ball, should Roma fans hope Ciro doesn’t score. How about the players, how exactly do make a team comprised of competing clubs.
What a clown this guy is, “betrayal” as of Donnarumma cheated on his wife or something, he probably would think that’s ok actually.
Especially Italy of all countries, do you know the times Italy went far in tournament or even won, not because they had the better players but because they were playing for the country.
The jeers on Donnarumma was plainly stupid act. It’s like you spend your money to be able to sound like monkey for almost 60 minutes. Without thinking that it could cost defeat to NT. What a class, Milan fans! And Mancini was not so smart. He should bench Donnarumma in that game. I guess this man has problem with humility.
Jeering a player wearing the Italian jumper is beyond childish & ludicrous! Italian national team is not a club side, if your not there to cheer your country on dont be there or better STFU!
Italian team is about bringing ppl together not segregation between supporters, the players are representing the nation, not club sides.
PPL need to grow up! or your no better than Napoli fans cheering Maradona @ 1990 WC.
To me your a traitor to your national team & country
Look at all these fools in here :
Fool number one :
@ who me
Murderers go to prison or get the chair, they won’t get booed you stupid buffoon. But you do a classless act and you’ll get booed. And Maldini was not jeered because Milan lost that match you idiot. He was jeered at by a small section of the ultras over a completely different matter which which had happened at the time and you can search and find out for yourself. Meanwhile, if you don’t know the story you better STFU about it.
Fool number two :
@ Sammy
Those old Italian coaches still brought four World Cup titles + an European title home which a clown like you can gloat about now. So WTF are you talking about disrespecting legends of the game for your gay player crushes? And to top it off you compare football betrayal to marriage and life in general. That’s just beyond stupid like you’re so dumb that it borders on mentally challenged. He betrayed his club in football and got booed for it, deal with it and get over it and STFU about it fool.
For people who don’t understand Milans anger.
We gave Gigi the world and he spat in our face. We paid him crazy amounts of money for a 20yr old when we couldn’t really afford it, with a promise that he would re sign for 8m if we qualified for the C/L. He ran his contract out and said goodbye to his team mates the very night they qualified. We couldn’t gain any money off his sale because he chose to get Raiola and “fat” bonus.
His batrayel was great. He acted like a spoilt, naive brat and not a man. Mancini should have seen this coming and played a different GK.
You never jeer a player in the national team. Even if your reason for this is justifiable you just don’t do that.
As for Sacchi and I have to agree with Raniolo on this “you should have won that WC 94” This is a coach who played Baggio wearing a white patch since he was kicked by Bulgaria in previous game, it was unclear if Baggio was even going to play in the final. And on the bench he had a road runner player Signori he did not even bring as a super sub that would have changed the game since Brazil and Italy were in attrition thus cancelling each other out. Pls Sacchi-your massive ego cost me a world cup.
SORRY, SACCHI IS VERY FOOLISH INDIVIDUAL. EVERYTIME HE SPEAKS ON ITALIAN TV, I ALWAYS SWITCH OVER. DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE. I CAN UNDERSTAND AT CLUM LEVEL BUT NOT WHEN ANY PLAYER PLAYS FOR HIS COUNTRY AND THIS IS FOR EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD. IN THE CASE FOR DONNARUMMA, ITALY COMES FIRST. I WAS SO PLEASED THAT IN TURIN, THEY BEHAVED WELL AND CLAPPED HIM. FORZA ITALIA E FORZA DONNARUMMA. GIGIO, PLEASE IGNORE THOSE UNGRATEFUL INDIVIDUALS. THEY ARE IGNORANT.
Remember when Luis Figo went to play for Real Madrid from Barcelona and Barcelona fans threw a pigs head at him at the camp Now?????
I think Donnarumma got treated like a gentleman in comparison.
Spot on Sacchi. Dollarrumma betrayed the club he claims to love, and he was welcomed accordingly.
Did the crowd at San Siro jeer the rest of the Italian team? Nope, only Judas.
This is calcio, not football.
When you play stupid games you win stupid prizes.
Arrogant Sacchi doesn’t deserve to say anything at the moment, he only succeeded in Milan‘s best Era 88-90. the rest is just total failure.
Imagine he coached Italy in the golden era of Italian football, but he failed miserably, WC 94 Italy to the final because of R. Baggio not because of Arrogant Sacchi’s coaching skills, because Italy’s ego and arrogance were destroyed at Euro 96.
He didn’t bring players in for personal reasons and personal problems, what an idiot he is, and he’s in the Italy coach seat just because Berlusconi is nothing else.
The sad era of the 90s, the best era and the peak of Calcio’s glory, Italy won nothing
Mocking a player and constantly terrorizing him might be natural if it’s an opposing team player, but this is your own National Team player, he plays for Gli Azzurri, and you mock him because of the club thing, arguing he’s a traitor.
Then explain, how big is the enmity between Madrid and Barcelona? their animosity is not only about football, but also nationalism, politics and identity. But when Barcelona players wear La Roja uniforms and perform at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, whether Madrid fans or Spanish fans will mock Barcelona players. Remember the original Barcelona players from Catalan consider Spain as colonizers of their country, and Spain consider them rebels.
But on the contrary, Xavi, Puyol, Iniesta and others from Barcelona are heroes for the whole of Spain and Madrid, even though they are enemies as a club.
Don’t bring story of Figo, he got mocking by Barcelona while play for Madrid in El Clásico, this Donna play for Italy against their arch enemy Spain on Semi-Final at their own home.
So you have to be mature Milanisti
@Jarod KNowles
You have no idea about football in Italy, do you? The national team means nothing to the average Italian football fan compared to their club. Nothing. Don’t think you can use whatever football culture you have in your country on Italy and Italians.
In 1994 Italy lost the final at WC to Brazil on penalty shootout, Baresi cried as he was captain and it was his last match for Gliu Azzuri. I’ve spoken to many Interista who said his tears helped them overcome the lose.
This is calcio, not football.
Ammount of misinformation around here
First of all it wasnt the majority of milan fans booing maldini when he retired it was a fraction of the curva sud who was still angry at maldini after he blasted them after the 2005 final loss after reurning back to milano.
2ndly kristiano is absolutely correct in the estimate that club football ranks higher than international football. Infact id go as far to say that a lot italians will identify with their region before nationality because of italys history.
Nobody jeered the national team but only against donnarumma and yes some people might have applauded him in turin but shouldnt that really come as a surprise because its well known that juventus has wanted him in their club since we gave him his debut.
Im farly confident even if italian national team doesnt play in milano they will play in some regions where donnarumma certainly still will get jeered at.
I for one wouldnt even want him back if he ever wanted to reurn and im sure the great majority of milan fans share that sentiment as well. He is simply unwanted but that doesnt mean people cant hate on him and as i see it he should better prepare himself for that treatment throughout his career because i doubt this is the last time it will happen either in regard of international games or club games. As an ac milan fan for over 30 years i actually hope he returns to italy and ends up playing for juventus or inter then he will get something to cry about on a regular basis.
@Kristiano
“The national team means nothing to the average Italian football fan compared to their club. Nothing.”
So this explains why Milanisti bought tickets, came to the stadium, just to berate Donnarumma.
But the funny thing is, they also bought tickets to the final, with the hope of Italy getting to the final while they continue to berate Donnarumma.
Well, he might have cheated, done some bad stuff and stuff. If you are a champion, go to him personally, invite him to fight or whatever it is that is manly and sporty, not mocking him when playing for his country.
but you are just a bunch of cowards, who make your club like yours, even though it is owned by greedy and greedy people.
Calcio was dead when Italy failed to qualify for WC 2018, Mancini and Donnarumma were part of the heroes that brought Calcio back to life.
Serie-A is filled with hundreds of foreign players, it is very difficult to get National Team players at the moment, but with the material available Mancini managed to win the Euros, and Calcio is back alive and well, people are now looking at Serie A again after the victory at the Euros.
so don’t say Gli Azzurri are not important, it’s the clubs that are not important, because mostly they only think about money and business.
Gravina must restore the rule that only 5 foreign players are allowed to play in
Yes, Mister Sacchi!
@ maserati ok, you clearly need things explained in details.
Italiens don’t care about their NT the same way as they do in England, or Scandinavia for that matter. There are many good reasons within culture and history for that.
“So this explains why Milanisti bought tickets, came to the stadium, just to berate Donnarumma.”
Yes. I know two Milan fans from Milan who went to San Siro with the main purpose to jeer Dollarumma.
so don’t say Gli Azzurri are not important…
Gli Azzurri are no way as important to the average Italian football fan as their club. If you claim otherwise you are either lying or an idiot.
If you are a champion, go to him personally, invite him to fight
You want me to start a fight?? Do you have ANY idea how stupid this makes you look?
Kristiano i agree and even though im not italian i tried to explain that many italians identify with their regions foremost and that is exactly down to the history of italy but apparently i wasnt allowed to post that.
I also tried to explain that the thing with maldini getting jeered on his last san siro match was only a fraction of curva sud and not the entire stadium and that was down to him blasting that specific group of people after the team lost in 2005 and didnt get a great welcome from them. Never liked their bahviour there though.
Shouldnt really come as a surprise either that some people applauded him at juventus stadium as a lot of those fans has wanted him in juventus since he got his debut with us and still are hoping for that to happen. Point being its not very representive of what might happen other places around in the country.
@ FOOTBALL ITALIA PANEL
YOU SHOULD NOT ALLOW OFFENSIVE COMMENTS. IT WAS NOT DONE TO ME BUT TO OTHERS WHO HAVE ACTUALLY WRITTEN WELL CONTRARY TO ONE PARTICULAR FAN. PLEASE REVIEW BEFORE ALLOWING THEM TO. READ THE ABOVE AND YOU WILL NOTICE WHO I AM REFERRING TO.
The jeering was warranted, if somewhat childish. However what other means do fans have in their disposal to show their displeasure?
It was a clear d*ck move by Donnarumma and his agent in order to enrich themselves, first and foremost.
you guys are all wrong a clearly have a poor understanding of football all together or just comment to comment……….
Milan fans have all right to be upset or angry or whatever it is you want to call it, Donnaruma was the golden boy at Milan he was the one that was going to bring them back to glory and be the next Maldini for the club.
Yes people say he betrayed the club and he did, for a club to give so much both to the player and the players family and get a slap in the face is betrayal…..
He should have done things differently especially for a club he claims he “loves”, if he wanted to leave so bad he should have signed his contract and allowed Milan to sell him at least the club could have used the money to replace him or buy a top player for the future but instead he allowed his contract to run down and leave on a free that my friend is BETRALAL!!
As per the old italian mangers i fully understand why they are on the milan supporters side and not that of Donnaruma, you all need to understand that back in the day the true club legends played for the shirt and not the money , football was played for the love of football and not the money and the older generation want that not the footballers of today where the shirt means shit to them and this doesnt only apply for milan but for all clubs.
but in saying all this Italians should support italy no matter what, plus as good as Donnaruma is now i dont see him lasting as a top keeper…..to big headed at his age and it will all catch up to him, but besides that FORZA MILAN AND FORZA Italia!!!!
OH before i forget all those making comments about how bad milan supporters are please remember you are talking about one of the greatest teams to ever bless the sport so the fans have all right to be upset when they lose or dont perform well.
Donnarumma is a merchant. Is it because he. Is young and naive? Doesn’t matter.
Also, those Dollarumma applauds in Turin mean nothing. Juventus fans have been drooling all over Dollarumma since he was 17 years old. It was pathetic.
Wait until he comes play in the north again.
Well, this arguments here not need to keep going I think.
all this clubs thing is sooo Stupid and you guys wanna die for it?
That’s why so much racism chanting and jeering in Serie-A, Koulibaly and Vlahović got racism attack by club fans !!! No wonder you guys also would jeering someone who play for National team, before Bonucci now Donnarumma, pathetic
Why I much care about Nation think, because I am soldier, my job to defense the Nation, not stupid clubs or something like that
I am sure non of you have enter the battlefield, trap in a crossfire or at least guarded the defense lines all the night, and you think your club match every week is your war, you don’t know nothing about war.
and the National team match, give us joy, when they win we got more joy, as they represent the nation on sport, we represent the Nation on the battle.
So go see real life out there, if you guys thought enough die, hate and love for something worthy in your life, life is just once, make sure you life and die on the honorable way.
This my last comment on FI
Yeah @maserati let’s hope that is your last comment ever, anywhere because the amount of stupid nonsense you put out there is staggering. No wonder you’re a soldier, you’re stupid enough that all you’re good for is taking bullets as a shield.
Was written:
“Also, those Dollarumma applauds in Turin mean nothing. Juventus fans have been drooling all over Dollarumma since he was 17 years old. It was pathetic.
Wait until he comes play in the north again.”
Uhm. Where do you think Torino is located?
El Cid:
No, man. Benching Gigio in the match (or had they won, matches) in Milano would have been the wrong move.
You don’t want to give in to these dummy’s. You don’t want to kowtow to them.
Also, from a strictly footballing POV, this was not a Friendly where he could have used the excuse of experimental lineup.
Also, keep in mind that a winner had to be determined and truthfully when the score was 2-1 Spain, I wasn’t worried about scoring 2 goals. In my mind, we only needed to score 1 because I figured if it went to PK’s we were going to win seeing as how we had Gigio in net.
I wouldn’t like my chances on PK’s with Sirigu.
Another comment mentioned Sacchi from Euro 1996. No kidding. I didn’t bring that up but yeah, talk about a MORON who fluffed that up as well. What a clown.
Agree with another comment. considering Serie A was the best in the 80’s and 90’s, it’s obvious the National Team under-achieved.