FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

Gianfranco Zola of Chelsea revealed on Tuesday his pain at being left out of Italy’s World Cup squad by coach Cesare Maldini hinting that the way the Italian boss behaved had made the process even more painful.

Zola said: ” It seems to me that after giving him a debut victory with my goal at Wembley, there seems to have been some sort of gradual exclusion process. I have been slowly but steadily pushed out after Rome. “ Maldini has stated that Zola has had a difficult season, but the diminutive striker believes that he has been the victim of a bias against Enblish Premiership clubs.

” Being left out fills me with pain. It’s not only a great disappointment, it’s a hard blow to me because I genuinely believed I would be in until the very last minute, “ Zola says. ” Perhaps I had difficult months in January and February, but the proof of how good I am comes from the fact that in giving my best to Chelsea, we have had one of the most extraordinary seasons in their history-I played my part. “

He added: ” The last time Maldini spoke to me was after the Cup Winners’ Cup final when he telephoned to congratulate me. But how can he now talk about my injury when I showed in Stockholm that I could play and score ? “