Italy manager Luciano Spalletti delivered a bizarre rant during his press conference about his players’ ‘addiction to the PlayStation.
The former Napoli boss was speaking to the media ahead of their upcoming fixtures against Venezuela and Ecuador.
Italy will defend their Euro 2020 trophy in Germany this year, after they qualified for the tournament with their 0-0 draw against Ukraine back in November.
At the end of the press conference, Spalletti decided it was his turn to ask journalists a question.
Italy boss Luciano Spalletti delivered a bizarre rant about his players’ addiction to PlayStation
He revealed his players stayed up late before their goalless draw with Ukraine in November – the match which sealed their place in this summer’s European Championships
Spalletti is trying to clamp down on his players’ use of PlayStation ahead of Euro 2024
‘We finished? Don’t you care about PlayStations? You don’t give a damn,’ he told the media.
‘Even television programmes were made on it, including with former footballers. Do you think that it’s right that professionals wearing the Italy shirt don’t sleep at night to play and don’t give their best the next day.
‘The level of a footballer can be seen in the 22 hours off the pitch. I don’t care what the players do, I care that at a certain time they try to sleep.
‘Some players stayed up at Ukraine, it doesn’t suit me. At the European Championship we create a common playroom because it is important to fill the space.
‘At half past midnight, the only time, everyone is back in their room. Addictions are not good. Your profession should not be disturbed.
‘Anyone who wants to waste time doesn’t come to the national team, there is no contracts that binds them to us.’
It is not the first time that he has ranted to the media about his team’s use of the games console.
In a prior interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, he spoke about the need for respect and professionalism in the national team.
Mykhailo Mudryk was controversially denied a penalty which could have seen Ukraine qualify for Euro 2024 instead of Italy
Spalletti said that anyone who ‘wastes time’ will not be called up for the national team
He said: ‘Because it starts from there. That is the basis on which talent must then be added. Shirt, values, pride, responsibility, these are not words that I use at random, even if some must have thought so…
‘Some players must’ve believed that Spalletti barks and then doesn’t have bite, but instead they are wrong and now there are some things that must be made clear. From now on they leave their PlayStations at home and no longer bring them.
‘I’ll invent a little game for them to think about to distract themselves at night. They come to me, and I give them homework to do in the evening if the daytime homework wasn’t enough.
‘Because in the national team you stay on track, concentrate, don’t mess around. I repeat the All-Blacks slogan, ‘No d***heads here’.’
Italy qualified over Ukraine for this summer’s Euros after their opponents were controversially denied a late penalty for a trip on Mykhailo Mudryk by Bryan Cristante.
