Antognoni lashes out: “I'm not going to the Fiorentina centenary – my dignity has no price”

At the presentation of his book 'Una vita da dieci', Fiorentina icon and 1982 world champion Giancarlo Antognoni spoke candidly about his bond with the club and the state of Italian football. He made it clear to La Repubblica that he will skip the invitation party for Fiorentina's 100th anniversary.

“I fell in love with the viola at first sight. I was 18 and a bond developed that has lasted for a long time,” says Antognoni. However, that bond has seriously cooled in recent years. "Five years ago they wanted to relegate me and I did not accept that. My dignity has no price. Since then I no longer go to the stadium and there is no contact with the club. I have been invited to the centenarium, but I don't think I will go."


The club legend remains positive about the new Fiorentina that is taking shape under coach Fabio Grosso: "I want to see a young team that fights to return to Europe. Grosso seems to me to be the right choice for the bench."

At the same time, Antognoni is critical of current Italian football. "Players with my profile have disappeared. The only one who still reminds me of the classic number ten is Nico Paz, helped at Como by Fàbregas' system." According to him, the training focuses too much on the result and not enough on the game. “As head of the Under-21 delegation, I see a lot of good boys, but clubs send them from Primavera to Serie C and then they lose them.”

The fact that Italy recently missed out on a Mondiaal is also a systemic issue for Antognoni. "The qualifying format should change, I see too many flat teams. It's better that Infantino doesn't try to be funny; he could have left out that quip."


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