Plans for two post-season friendlies in the US for the Irish soccer team have reportedly been scrapped, with a training camp in Italy likely to take place instead.
It’s bad enough that Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni can’t be arsed to attend even the odd game involving members of Irish squad, he won’t even have to leave his native Italy to oversee a training camp in the summer.
Plans for two friendlies in the USA in June, including one against Italy in a repeat of the 1994 World Cup clash between the pair at Meadowlands in New Jersey have been scrapped, but both countries are keen for the game to go ahead at an alternative venue.
Brussels and a yet to be decided venue in Italy have been suggested as possible alternative locations for the game, which is likely to take place soon after Ireland’s clash with Macedonia in Skopje on June 4, with Italy in action against Estonia on the previous day.
Trapattoni was keen to have two games in order to try out a number of players on the fringe of the Irish squad, but it is looking increasingly likely that he will have to be content with one friendly and a mini-training camp lasting a few days afterwards, before reverting back to his usual modus operandi of watching Irish players on DVD.
Further details on the matter are expected to become known over the next few days, with Trapattoni due to announce his squad for the Carling Nations Cup clashes with Scotland and Northern Ireland and the Macedonia game in Athlone tomorrow.
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