Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/464575
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 2015 20 Sport SPORTTODAY FOOTBALL Arrigo Sacchi defends himself against claims of racism Former Milan and Italy Coach Arrigo Sacchi says he's been 'misrepresented' after criticising the number of black players in Italian youth teams SPEAKING at an awards cere- mony in Tuscany, the 68-year-old appeared to take issue with the number of foreign players in the country. Sacchi, who has also coached AC Milan and Real Madrid, was quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport as saying: "I'm not racist and my history as a coach shows that, but watching at the Viareggio Cup (a youth football tournament) makes me think there are too many play- ers of colour. "Business interests now come first. Italy has no dignity, it has no pride: you shouldn't have squads including 15 foreigners." Sacchi has employed black play- ers during his career, with Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit playing alongside fellow Netherlands inter- national Marco van Basten as part of a successful attacking trio at Mi- lan, a factor he highlighted when trying to clarify his comments. "I have been misrepresented, do you really think I'm racist?" he lat- er added in Gazzetta. "I was just saying that I'd watched a match in which there was a team that included four boys of colour. "My history speaks for itself, I've always trained teams with diverse players of colour and they won a lot, both at Milan and in Madrid. "I just wanted to underline the fact that we're losing our national pride and identity." In November, newly-elected Ital- ian Football Federation (FIGC) president Carlo Tavecchio was banned from involvement with FIFA for six months after making derogatory comments about Afri- can players. UEFA imposed a similar sanction on the 71-year-old but the FIGC cleared him of any wrongdoing. The former Italy manager Arrigo Sacchi has denied making racist comments at an awards ceremony Local Football mourns Joe Cassar Naudi Former referee Joseph M. Cassar Naudi passes away FORMER Malta Football Association referee Joseph M. Cassar Naudi has passed away, aged 89. The MFA in a statement said Mr Cassar Naudi started his career as a referee in 1945 and was appointed Head of the Malta Football Referees Association in 1955, a position he held until 1974. In 1961, he was one of the first three Maltese referees to be given the Fifa badge and the first Maltese referee to officiate a competitive Uefa game in Panathinaikos. He officiated the FA trophy final five times between 1951 and 1973 and was a referee observer for many years. He was a Midalja għal Qadi tar-Re- pubblika recipient in 1992. Up until the 2013-2014 season, Nau- di was deputy chairman of the Ref- erees' Committee. At the end of the last season, he was presented with the MFA's Outstand- ing Refereeing Services Award. His funeral is being held at the Msida parish church on Thursday at 2.30pm