Balotelli not in Italy squad despite calls for his inclusion

Posted November 08, 2019 6:00 am

The Associated Press

Brescia's head coach Eugenio Corini talks to Brescia's Mario Balotelli during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Verona and Brescia at the Bentegodi stadium in Verona, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. (Simone Venezia/ANSA via AP) The Associated Press

ROME (AP) - Mario Balotelli was again left out of the Italy squad on Friday despite the Italian soccer federation president publicly calling for him to be included this week for upcoming European qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Armenia.

Balotelli has not been called up by Italy coach Roberto Mancini for more than a year but FIGC head Gabriele Gravina had said that naming him in the squad would send a strong message after the Brescia forward was racially abused at the weekend.

Balotelli's teammate, defender Andrea Cistana, was handed a first ever call-up as were Fiorentina midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli and Bologna forward Riccardo Orsolini.

Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi was included in the 29-man squad for the first time in a year.

Italy has already qualified for next year's European Championship but victory against Bosnia on Nov. 15 would be a 10th successive win for the Azzurri, beating the national team's record set under Vittorio Pozzo between 1938-39.

It then hosts Armenia in Palermo three days later in its final match in Group J.

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Italy:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan), Pierluigi Gollini (Atalanta), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino)

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Cristiano Biraghi (Inter Milan), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Andrea Cistana (Brescia), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (Chelsea), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Armando Izzo (Torino), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma)

Midfielders: NicolÃ² Barella (Inter Milan), Gaetano Castrovilli (Fiorentina), Jorginho (Chelsea), Rolando Mandragora (Udinese), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain). NicolÃ² Zaniolo (Roma)

Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Stephan El Shaarawy (Shanghai Shenhua), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna)

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Brescia's Mario Balotelli, second from right, reacts to Verona supporters' racist chants during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Verona and Brescia at the Bentegodi stadium in Verona, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. (Simone Venezia/ANSA via AP) The Associated Press

Brescia's Mario Balotelli, right, reacts at the end of the Italian Serie A soccer match between Verona and Brescia at the Bentegodi stadium in Verona, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. Verona supporters' racist chants upset the Italian bomber who also scored one goal. (Simone Venezia/ANSA via AP) The Associated Press

Fiorentina's Gaetano Castrovilli celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Parma at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. (Claudio Giovannini/ANSA via AP) The Associated Press

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