Federico Dimarco insists Italy have no disrespect for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Federico Dimarco has moved to clarify Italy's position after he and his teammates were caught on camera celebrating when Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Wales in a penalty shootout to reach the World Cup qualifying final [1].
The Inter Milan wing-back addressed the controversy at a press conference at Coverciano, Italy's training centre, ahead of Tuesday's crucial qualifier in Zenica [1].
"I respect all clubs and, above all, all national teams. It was an instinctive reaction; we were among friends watching a penalty shoot-out," Dimarco said [1].
The incident occurred when Italy were watching the Wales versus Bosnia match from Cardiff after securing their own 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland in Atalanta on Thursday [1]. Edin Dzeko scored a late equaliser to force extra time, and when the Bosnians won in the shootout, Dimarco, Sandro Tonali and other Italian players were shown celebrating on state broadcaster Rai [1].
The reaction did not go unnoticed by Bosnia's camp. Miralem Pjanic, the former Roma and Juventus midfielder who spent nine seasons in Serie A, expressed his frustration to La Gazzetta dello Sport [1].
"Dimarco and the other Azzurri's joy? Honestly, I don't understand why," Pjanic said. "We'll have to create a hellish atmosphere for the match. It'll take real character to come away from Zenica with a win" [1].
Dimarco, who was once Dzeko's teammate at Inter Milan, said there was no intention to cause offence and stressed the importance of the upcoming match [1].
"I spoke with Dzeko, a friend, and congratulated him. I repeat, I showed no disrespect to anyone, neither to Bosnia nor to the Bosnians; we are all decent people," he explained [1].
The Italian defender also pointed out that his country has no room for arrogance, having missed the last two World Cups [1].
"I've heard people say we were arrogant. There's really no reason to be, we've missed the last two World Cups," Dimarco said. "All that upset me, and I think it was a bit disrespectful to have been filmed at that moment" [1].
Italy failed in the play-offs for both the 2018 World Cup in Russia, losing to Sweden, and the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when they were eliminated by North Macedonia [1].
Despite the controversy, Dimarco emphasised Italy's determination to secure World Cup qualification [1].
"We absolutely want to qualify for this World Cup; we're a group that gets on well together. We're expecting a hostile atmosphere, but we're Italy and we have to put in a great performance," he concluded [1].