Italy's open-bus parade following their Euro 2020 triumph "was not authorised", according to the current Prefect of Rome, Matteo Piantedosi.
The Azzurri claimed the second European Championship crown in their history after beating England on penalties in the showpiece event at Wembley on Sunday.
Roberto Mancini and the rest of his squad celebrated by taking the trophy to the streets of Rome on Monday, but it has now been revealed that they were originally denied permission to ride through the city in an open-top bus due to Covid-19 restrictions.
What's been said?
Rome prefect Piantedosi has told Corriere della Sera: "We had denied permission to celebrate Italy's victory in the European Championships on the open bus, but the pacts were not respected.
"Last Friday we convened a committee for order and security. I had agreed the line with the Minister of Interior Luciana Lamorgese and with the police chief Lamberto Giannini.
"The meeting was precisely to decide what to do and for this reason we also directly involved the FIGC, which asked to allow the athletes of the national team to take a ride around Rome on an open bus, but it was clearly explained that it was not possible. We said we could not authorize them. "
Why did the parade go ahead?
Piantedosi went on to explain that Italian authorities reluctantly allowed the parade to go ahead in order to avoid any public disorder, with thousands of fans having turned up to see their country's heroes show off their new piece of silverware.
"I understand that [Giorgio] Chiellini and [Leandro] Bonucci represented their understanding with determination to the staff on the order service; at that point it was not possible to do anything but take note of the situation and manage it in the best possible way," he said.
"It was the strong intention of the players to continue the celebrations by taking a ride on an open bus. There were thousands of people waiting for the bus ride, banning it could have created problems of public order.
"In Rome, we have always tried to apply the measures anti-Covid by stimulating the collaboration of citizens and productive categories rather than imposing draconian measures."
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