Dario Ricci, a reporter for the Italian news agency Radio 24, has revealed that Luciano Spalletti, who sparked controversy by berating reporters after Italy’s 1-1 draw against Croatia, called him at 2 am to repeatedly apologize.
Let’s recap yesterday’s events. After Italy’s dramatic draw, Spalletti held a press conference where Ricci was the first to ask a question: “Was the starting lineup you chose today (3-5-2 formation) a compromise reached with the players?” Spalletti immediately became furious and lashed out at the reporter: “What do you mean compromise? I think someone told you that! I communicate with the players every day, I think someone leaked information to you, this will harm the national team’s interests, whoever told you (these reporters)!”
This incident sparked the Italy “dressing room mole” controversy. However, after cooling down, Spalletti’s attitude changed dramatically, and he personally called the reporter at 2 am to repeatedly apologize.
Ricci stated: “At 2 am, I received a call from an unknown number. I thought it might be a spam call, but I heard someone say, ‘Hello Dario, it’s Luciano.’ I don’t recall anyone named Luciano knowing my number, so it took me a moment to realize it was Spalletti. The press officer of the federation gave him my number. He apologized many times, in a sincere tone, and we clarified the misunderstanding.”
Why did Spalletti apologize? Italian media outlets suggest two possible reasons. One, Spalletti’s outburst at the press conference was a momentary lapse in judgment, a way of venting all the negative emotions he had experienced during the game. After the match, he might have realized that he was being unreasonable by accusing someone of being a “mole” without any evidence. The other possible reason is that he didn’t want to get into trouble and risk a suspension. Ricci recalls the incident: “It was a very strange moment, I was sitting in the front row, next to the federation president Gravina, so when Spalletti was angry, I could only keep reassuring Gravina that it wasn’t a deliberate insult.” Obviously, if it was deemed as a “deliberate insult,” Spalletti could face punishment, especially since UEFA had made it clear before the European Championship that they have a “zero-tolerance” policy for such behavior.
The “mole controversy” continues to be a hot topic on social media. Did Spalletti change his formation to 3-5-2 because he was pressured by the players to compromise? Was there really an Italian national team player who leaked dressing room information to the press and acted as a “leaker”? Did Spalletti first lash out and then apologize because he was pressured or threatened? There are many different interpretations. This could become a variable for Italy’s upcoming knockout match against Switzerland.
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