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Donadoni admonishes Cassano
Posted - 17th March 2008
A couple of weeks ago it was Antonio Cassano's moment in the spotlight. In an extended interview on popular talk-show Che tempo che fa, Cassano spoke about how he had matured, about how hungry for success he was, and how he craved a place on the national squad. On the back of some great goals and strong team play at Sampdoria, Cassano seemed to have refound some of the spirit that marked this attacking midfielder from Bari apart from his contemporaries. Gone were the days of despair at the court of Don Fabio Capello, where he partyed more than played, and earned himself the humiliating nickname 'el gordo' or 'the fat one' with Real Madrid's angry fans. Taken back under the wing of a sympathetic coach, Walter Mazzarri at Sampdoria, Cassano seemed to have his head back on his shoulders, and so the press clamoured for a statement of intent from Roberto Donadoni about Cassano's future in the national squad.
What a difference a day makes, and unfortunately Cassano recently showed that his fiery temper has merely been on the backburner, as he exploded during the recent Sampdoria Torino match after receiving a card from the referee. Cassano continued his angry outburst, stripping off his sweaty Sampdoria shirt and throwing it at the beleagured referee. All of which earned him a deserved five match ban. His future at Sampdoria looks unlikely to be affected by the outburst, although it may certaintly affect his negotiating abilities as Sampdoria deal with Real Madrid to buy him permanently at the end of this season. More worrying for the Bari player is how his behaviour will have gone down with National coach Roberto Donadoni.
Donadoni has already picked Cassano twice, though not since late 2006 when he played against both Lithuania and France, with mixed results. Cassano is a controversial player, having argued publicly with the likes of Francesco Totti and other former team-mates at AS Roma. The weight of press opinion suggests that his fantasy and ability alone should earn him a place in the Italian squad - a squad that is not without its problems, despite being world champions and top of their qualifying group for Euro 2008. The question, though, is will Donadoni be prepared to risk playing a player for whom the neologism 'cassanata' was coined ('the latest 'cassanata'' is a disturbingly regular headline in the Italian press).
On last night's Che tempo che fa a good indication was given by Donadoni, when he commented that Cassano needs to realise that 'he's not a kid anymore' and 'We don't need to do anything. It's all up to him'. Apparently, in conversation, the midfielder from Bari admitted to Donadoni that he'd done the most idiotic thing in his life. It's hard to imagine, given that Cassano will miss five matches in a row now, that he'll be fit and on form for the Euro championships, even were a favourable Donadoni willing to take the risk on his volatility.
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