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- Donnarumma Categorically Denies That the Italian Players Asked for Bonuses for Qualifying for the World Cup
Donnarumma Categorically Denies That the Italian Players Asked for Bonuses for Qualifying for the World Cup
The captain of the national team opposed the theory that the players of his team had asked for money as a reward for qualifying for the World Cup
Defeat and bonuses for World Cup qualification
The Italian national team suffered yet another setback when they were eliminated from the World Cup qualifiers by Bosnia and Herzegovina, losing 4-1 on penalties after holding a 1-1 draw throughout the match. In the midst of this soccer setback, a story emerged that suggested the Italian players had asked the Italian Football Federation for a bonus for qualifying for the World Cup. One of the team's key players, Gianluigi Donnarumma, came forward to refute this claim and vehemently denied that such a request had been made
Donnarumma's resounding response
“I was hurt by the comments and the words that circulated about the alleged bonuses we supposedly asked for. As captain, I never asked the Italian national team for a single euro. What the federation does, as in all competitions, is give a gift to the players who qualify for a tournament. That's it. No one asked the federation for anything: our reward was to go to the World Cup, and we didn't make it. What was said hurt me, and I repeat, no one ever asked for bonuses,” said the national team captain in an interview with Sky Sports Italia.
16 years with no chance of a rematch
The captain denies that a request was made, but acknowledges that there is a sort of bonus for the players for having qualified for the World Cup. Today, Italy becomes a national team that will not be able to participate in the World Cup, and it will be 16 years before they have another chance.
