Italy considering altitude training for World Cup

Italy is considering training at high altitude before traveling to the World Cup in South Africa.

The defending champion was sluggish in June at the Confederations Cup, playing each of its games on the high veldt in Johannesburg and Pretoria, where the altitude approaches 1,750 meters (6,000 feet) at some points.

Abandoning their normal training base near Florence, the Azzurri could head to the Alps in northern Italy come May.

The idea had the support of captain Fabio Cannavaro, who said Monday: “Going to prepare for the World Cup at altitude in Italy would be a good idea to avoid the problems we encountered at the Confederations Cup. It’s better not to leave anything to chance.”