'Someone stole his phone' - Luciano Spalletti claps back at Francesco Acerbi over refusing Italy call-up and has cheeky dig at Roberto Mancini for social media 'like'

Inter defender Acerbi turned down a national team call-up, claiming disrespect from Italy boss Spalletti. The former Napoli manager responded by saying Acerbi owes him and the squad an explanation. The drama was further stirred when former Azzurri coach Roberto Mancini appeared to “like” Acerbi’s post online, prompting Spalletti to joke that someone must’ve stolen or hacked his phone.

The controversy comes just days before Italy’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Norway. With several injuries plaguing the squad, including striker Moise Kean and multiple defenders, Spalletti is dealing with a reduced group. Despite the tension and off-field drama, he emphasised the team’s focus and motivation heading into what he called a “match that can take us to the World Cup.”

Spalletti was asked for his reaction to Acerbi's comments at a press conference ahead of their qualifying match, saying: “One day, Acerbi will explain to me where it is that I showed him disrespect. And I will tell him what I think about respect for what he did to me and above all to the Italy squad.”
The situation took another twist when Mancini appeared to ‘like’ Acerbi’s message on social media, with Spalletti responding: “Either someone stole his phone or is going around putting likes on things to make him look bad,” he joked. “Nowadays phones are always getting hacked, so I couldn’t possibly think otherwise…”

Italy will hope to kick off their campaign with a win when they face Norway in Oslo in their Group I opener for the World Cup qualifiers