"Mama Mia, A Draw That Would Frighten You" went the front page headline in yesterday's sports daily Gazzetta Dello Sport in relation to Sunday's draw for next summer's Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland. Reigning World Champions Italy have been drawn in a difficult first-round group along with the Netherlands, Romania and World Cup runners-up France.
Even if French coach Raymond Domenech made no attempt to hide his frustration at finding himself face to face with Italy again and even though Italian media comment was quick to underline the difficult task now facing the World Champions, coach Roberto Donadoni took a much more philosophical view: "After our difficult qualifying group (in which Italy also faced France, losing 3-1 in France and drawing 0-0 in Italy), I was hoping for something better, but that's okay the way it is. It all depends on us. Nor does France worry me any more than the other teams. True we didn't beat them (in the qualifying round) but every game tells its own story. I just hope that the build-up to the finals are not as controversial as last time but it will be up to us to play down the tensions, up to all of us - media, players and coaches."
Donadoni's reference to "controversy" relates to the heated build-up to the 0-0 qualifying draw between Italy and France last September when Domenech provoked a major diplomatic storm by suggesting that Italian football was endemically corrupt. In particular, he recalled an Italy v France under-21 game in 1999, when he had been the France under-21 coach, saying that he'd "rarely been so cheated".
Domenech's accusations followed hot on the heels of a World Cup final defeat in Berlin, marred by the infamous Zidane-Materazzi head butt incident and a defeat that clearly still rankled. As veteran Italian striker Alessandro Del Piero put it, Italy and France "have a bit of history" between them.
Until last summer in Germany, France had had the better of recent times, eliminating Italy on penalties at the 1998 World Cup finals and beating them in the Euro 2000 final thanks to a David Trezeguet golden goal.
Even before Sunday's Euro 2008 finals draw, coach Domenech had complained about the seeding system, a complaint he repeated after the draw. In essence, he pointed an accusatory figure at Uefa's decision to rank host countries Austria and Switzerland as well as reigning champions Greece as number one seeds: "There were two teams that I really wanted to avoid - Italy and Holland. But just what I feared might happen, did happen and all because of a mad seeding criterion that put the World Champions in as grade two seeds whilst it put the World Cup runners-up in grade four. At least, for once, I'm not the only one complaining this time."
One man who did not complain about last weekend's draw was Marcello Lippi, the man who led Italy to World Cup success last year. Lippi conceded that the Euro 2008 draw had been less kind than last week's 2010 World Cup qualifying draw (in which Italy are in a group with the Republic of Ireland) but added: "It (the draw) doesn't matter. Italy are a good team and if our players are well, then no team should give us problems. I know we are up against France again but they were always a possible rival . . ."
