Prandelli unfazed by difficult preparation

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has played down talk of his country’s match-fixing scandal ahead of Euro 2012 being a case of history repeating.

Italy’s preparations for the 2006 World Cup in Germany were infamously disrupted by the Calciopoli scandal, but Marcello Lippi nonetheless led them to triumph.

Now, with Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine set to begin on June 8, Italy have been beset by the Scommessopoli probe.

Domenico Criscito was dropped from Italy’s squad for the European Championship earlier this week due to his alleged role in the scandal, while Leonardo Bonucci is also under investigation, but Prandelli is hopeful his squad will not be distracted by recent events.

“The comparisons to 2006 seem like a cliche to me. The situation’s different now,” Prandelli said at a press conference.

“They always say that Italy become more united in difficult situations, and I hope that is the case now, too. However, I don’t believe in the theory that we can only perform under pressure.

“We should be giving our best in a calm atmosphere as well. The important thing now is to show the people that we are determined to clean up football.”

Italy have been paired with Croatia, Republic of Ireland and champions Spain at Euro 2012 and start the tournament against the title holders on June 10.