Abodi defends Dimarco: "This is a pointless row; there's nothing provocative about it"

"I'm a bit hoarse because I was shouting on Thursday evening... In Bergamo, we had the minister trying to maintain a sense of decorum, whilst Andrea was aiming for a touch of restrained exuberance. At half-time, Gattuso must have delivered some clear-cut instructions, and once back on the pitch, the national team let loose and gave it their all."

"I believe all the conditions are in place – not just in terms of technical ability but also psychologically – for us to do well. Of course, we’ll be playing in a hostile stadium, as is to be expected, but the Italian fans will certainly be passionate and loud. And millions of hearts will be beating strongly back in Italy, and I’m sure the lads will feel that support. There’s little left to learn now; we just need to draw on our deepest reserves of energy and our deepest feelings. There can only be one final result: Italy on 12 June in Canada."

"The video of the celebration that went viral? I don’t think there was any excessive enthusiasm; I don’t even know what they were thinking at that moment. I don’t understand why so much significance has been attached to that celebration; we’re talking about lads who’d just finished the match. I don’t think there’s anything reprehensible or provocative about it. Let’s try to move on; we’ve already got plenty of objectively complicated issues to deal with. This is a controversy that makes no sense.”