Antonio Conte refuses to hand over his players for the coming international match period, according to various Italian media. The trainer of Internazionale and his team were hit by a corona outbreak last week, which also affected Stefan de Vrij. The defender sees the international matches with the Dutch national team pass by due to the positive corona test. To prevent multiple Inter players from contracting the virus, Conte insists on keeping his players in Milan.
Italian media reports that no new infections have been added in recent days and yet Conte refuses to hand over his players. The coach fears new infections if his players travel all over the world for the international match period, which the Serie A leader cannot use in the battle for the first national title since 2010. The drastic measure would have major consequences for Roberto Mancini, who as the national coach of Italy sees part of his selection disappear.
Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolò Barella and Stefano Sensi were all told on Friday that they can report to the national team of Italy on Sunday, but whether that will actually happen depends on the local health authorities. The trio will not be informed before Monday whether or not they are allowed to join. A decision that Conte does not want to wait for. Italy will face Northern Ireland (March 25), Bulgaria (March 28) and Lithuania (March 31) in the coming international match period.
It has been bumblebees at Inter all week, which saw five players test positive and also saw part of the technical staff drop out due to infections. The breakout most likely took place on Sunday in the player’s bus, when Inter took on Torino (1-2 victory). The local health authorities in Milan have decided that the entire squad must be quarantined until midnight on Sunday, which has resulted in Saturday’s game against Sassuolo being canceled. A new date will be announced soon.
Related
More sports news