Football
Balotelli dropped by Italy boss Mancini
Mario Balotelli has been left out of Italy’s 23-man squad to face Portugal following criticism of his performance in the Azzurri’s 1-1 draw with Poland on Friday,National Daily learnt.
Italy coach Roberto Mancini admitted the Nice striker did not play well against Poland and said “his fitness levels are an issue right now” before omitting Balotelli from his squad for Monday’s match.
Former Juventus and Roma player Zbigniew Boniek accused Balotelli of being “15 kilos overweight” after his performance against Poland, which ended when he was replaced by Andrea Belotti after 62 minutes at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
There is no place in Mancini’s squad for Davide Zappacosta, Lorenzo Pellegrini or Cristiano Biraghi, all of whom started the game against Poland.
Alessio Cragno, Daniele Rugani and Nicolo Zaniolo have also been left out of Italy’s squad for the Nations League clash in Lisbon.
-
Football1 week agoWAFCON 2026: Super Falcons battle South Africa for World Cup play-off spot
-
Latest1 week agoOsun 2026: Oyinlola group backs Oyebamiji, faults Adeleke over exclusion
-
Football5 days agoSuper Falcons target World Cup play-off spot against South Africa
-
Business5 days agoBigi, Fearless take campus engagement to new level, reach 20 tertiary institutions
-
Featured2 days agoOsun 2026: What the battle could signal for 2027 general elections
-
Business4 days agoOPay transactions surge 115% to $358bn as Fintech eyes $4bn US IPO
-
Business3 days agoWho is really benefiting from Nigeria’s economic reforms?
-
Featured2 days agoOsun Election: How poverty turns ₦20,000 into a powerful vote-buying tool