Christian Panucci, the Italy defender on the 2002 FIFA World Cup, on the launch of the Milan Academy Kerala in Kochi on Tuesday. Picture: Stan Rayan
| Picture Credit score: Stan Rayan
With their distinctive dancing and wild celebrations, African stars have lit up many a FIFA World Cup. Photos of Cameroon striker Roger Milla instantly come to at least one’s thoughts.
Christian Panucci, the Italian defender who performed within the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan alongside legends like Paolo Maldini, Francesco Totti and Alessandro del Piero, feels African nations will make among the greatest headlines within the Qatar World Cup.
“The African groups will produce the most important shock on the World Cup. That’s my want too as a result of African groups have nice group spirit, however these sides haven’t come to the fore all these years,” stated Panucci, in a chat with The Hindu, right here on Tuesday.
Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia, and continental champion Senegal are the African groups on the World Cup this time. Milla’s heroics helped Cameroon develop into the primary African nation to achieve the World Cup quarterfinals in 1990 and Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) additionally made it to the final eight.
Ahead Roger Milla from Cameroon runs previous Colombian goalkeeper Jose Higuita (R) after stealing the ball from him on his method to rating a purpose on June 23, 1990 in Naples in the course of the World Cup second spherical match between Cameroon and Colombia. Milla scored two targets in further time
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AFP
However no African group has gone past that.
With Italy failing to qualify for the World Cup, Panucci stated he wouldn’t be cheering any group in Doha.
“I cannot be cheering any group as a result of Italy isn’t there… that disappointment is there. And I don’t have a favorite group as such,” stated the 49-year-old ambassador of Italian large AC Milan who’s in Kochi for the official launch of the Milan Academy Kerala.
Italian defender Christian Panucci scores previous Romanian goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont (R) and Romanian defenders Gabriel Tamas (L) and Cristian Chivu in the course of the Euro 2008 Championships Group C soccer match on June 13, 2008 in Zurich, Switzerland.
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Italy, a four-time World Cup champion which final received the trophy in 2006, missed the final World Cup too. What’s the downside, what must be finished to vary issues?
“Italy will certainly come again. There are various inner issues in Italy, monetary issues too. When you take a look at groups like France and England, there’s far more help, financially too.”
