Vialli: Chelsea legend admits he did’t watch Italy-Sweden
- Kaustubh Pandey
Italy failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time after 1958 as they conceded a 1-0 defeat to Sweden on aggregate, following the 0-0 draw at San Siro on Monday.
Vialli, who has played for the Azzurri in multiple World Cups, has revealed that he could not watch the game because it was scary. He told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I was at home in London, but I did not see Italy-Sweden. Fear increased right from the start, so I did other things.
“Every now and then I took a check on the mobile phone. It was a scary. For an Italian living abroad, the gap of three days is even more painful. Next summer for those who love football will be tough. Does the failure to qualify have an effect on footballers? As long as you play, you do not notice certain things.
“On Saturday you come back to the field and resume the routine. When you stop, you see that opportunities have vanished. We must all realize that football has its repercussions in other areas. Skipping a World Cup means creating problems for the economy and taking away one month's leisure from an entire country. “