Italy, Ventura:"What Pelle' did upset and surprised the players and myself"

After Conte's cycle ended at the Euro in France, the Italian national team selected Giampiero Ventura to replace him. The former Torino manager talked about his decision to punish Graziano Pelle' because the striker refused to shake his hand after being subbed out:"It's hard to understand his motivation, he was a starter against France and Israel, he played 90 minutes- he told Corriere dello Sport- there wasn't a reason to do that. It surprised and upset the players, as De Rossi said we spent a lot of time building this group and it must be protected. This is why we made him leave. Will he return? I think he needs to reflect on what it means to wear the Azzurri jersey and be part of this group, time will tell"