Cesare Prandelli has said Italy will not quit the Confederations Cup due to the huge protests that have swept the country.
An estimated 1.25 million people took to the streets in scores of cities on Thursday evening to call for better public services and to criticise the cost of organising the Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup.
Many of the protest marches, which began last week, have culminated in violent clashes between demonstrators and riot police, but Prandelli said the Italy squad had no plans to leave the country.
“Our officials have absolutely not proposed going home,” he said during a press conference in Salvador, the day before Italy’s final Group A game against hosts Brazil.
“Tomorrow (Saturday) is a football match and we don’t want that kind of confrontation outside the stadium. It would be a paradox to play football, to offer joy in the stadium, and to have violence 50 metres away.
“It would be an unacceptable contradiction.”
He added: “Apparently in recent days the situation has changed. In Rio, everything went well; we could visit the city without problems.
“In Recife and here, as a precaution, they’ve asked us not to leave the hotel, but going home? No, we absolutely haven’t thought of that.”
The manager also apologised for saying that Mario Balotelli was the only player allowed out of the team hotel- when security advisors told the squad to remain indoors during the protest- because he was black.
Prandelli said the AC Milan striker was permitted to leave the hotel because his “colour is different from ours.”
“Before I said something about the colour of our skin,” Prandelli added. “I am glad we clarified that issue about why he (Balotelli) was the only one allowed out.
“He was surrounded by all these people but he was working with a charity and doing something nice.”
It emerged that the striker was involved in charity work, helping children from some of Salvador’s poorest areas.
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