Soccer: Prandelli reaffirms code

P(ANSA) – Florence, April 15 – Cesare Prandelli on Tuesday reaffirmed the code of conduct that will force him to drop players who get red cards or who are involved in off-field antics, even shoo-ins for this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.BR”This morning I talked to the players and I reminded them that the ethical code counts in the last month too: anyone who messes up stays home, because it means they won’t cope with the pressure of a World Cup,” the Italy coach told reporters after meeting the 23 hopefuls who completed physicals Tuesday.BR”I’m fed up of seeing certain behaviour. The national-team players must have the strength not to fall for provocations,” said the Tuscan coach, who is looking to improve on Italy’s second-place finish at Euro 2012.BRBut the Azzurri manager said he was “convinced that no one will make a mistake”.BRSurprise call-ups Giuseppe Rossi and Antonio Cassano were among the big group of players who took part in Italy’s pre-World Cup fitness tests.BRPrandelli said the tests would give him important input for his final selections for this summer’s tournament, as the players’ physical condition will be especially important given the hot conditions they will face in Brazil.BRRossi was called up even though he has not yet returned to action for Fiorentina after a knee injury.BRPrandelli said he would wait as long as possible for the forward to regain fitness when he suffered the injury in January.BRThe 27-year-old was Serie A’s top scorer at the time with 14 goals and remains in joint-fifth place in this season’s striker standings even though he has been sidelined for three months.BRParma’s Cassano, meanwhile, returned to an Azzurri camp for the first time since the 31-year-old helped Italy come second to world champions Spain at Euro 2012.BRPrandelli said he wanted to focus on younger players after that tournament, but Cassano’s form of late has been too good to ignore and he is in the running for a place in the World Cup squad.BRThe tests ended Tuesday after players from AC Milan, who beat Catania 1-0 in Sunday’s late match, and from Serie A leaders Juventus, who won 2-0 at Udinese on Monday, were put through their paces.BRThe Milan contingent included star striker Mario Balotelli and fellow forward Stephan El Shaarawy, who is close to coming back after a lengthy layoff with a foot problem.BRAs expected Prandelli did not call up 37-year-old AS Roma captain Francesco Totti or his club mate Mattia Destro.BRHowever, this does not mean the duo have no chance of making the final squad, especially in Destro’s case.BRThe in-form 23-year-old has been excluded in accordance with the code of conduct after being given a four-match ban by Serie A’s sporting judge.BRDestro was banned for three matches for hitting an opponent during Roma’s 3-1 win at Cagliari eight days ago, when he scored all of his team’s goals.BRThe other match is an automatic ban incurred from a yellow card he picked up in the game.BRPrandelli does not call up players who are serving suspensions, but the code of conduct only applies for the duration of the ban.BR/P
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