Fifa criticise Italy for refusing to talk to the media after their second round exit at the hands of co-hosts South Korea.
Are Italy guilty of bad form? Or are they entitled to be upset?
South Korea shocked the football world with their stirring second-round victory over Italy, and although the co-hosts were good value for the win, the Italians were less than amused.
Skipper Francesco Totti was sent off in extra-time for diving and a goal by Damiano Tommasi was ruled out for off-side.
Trapattoni's men had two seemingly legitimate goals disallowed in their 2-1 loss to Croatia in the group stages and another two goals ruled out in the following match against Mexico.
Are the Italians right to be bitter? Or is it just a case of sour grapes?
This debate is now closed - A selection of your e-mails appear below.
Any country, when confronted by repeated missed calls, becomes frustrated and irate. Remember England's reaction to Maradona's Hand of God? There shouldn't be a double standard. Watching Italy lose based solely on their play on the field would have been reasonable. Having the outcome slanted because of ejections or disqualified goals is not satisfying.
Poor calls are part of the game but there were so many bad calls during this World Cup for several teams that one must wonder if the speed of the modern game is too much for just three officials.
The Italian team and I guess Italian media and officials have proven themselves to be really sore losers. Being one of the top soccer countries in the world, one would expect them to act more mature. Despite their big names, they really didn't play that well. I can't think of any other team that was more boring to watch. Their defensive game is outdated and surprisingly they still stick to it.
Italy play boring, 'safe' football. They failed to shine, though they have a host of world class players; they are arguably one of the most arrogant sides in the tournament. Their silence speaks volumes: they are more concerned with who's in the firing line back home and they blame everyone but themselves, incapable of losing in a humble or sportsman-like way.
The Italian team was robbed by their coach with his poor tactics and many bad calls by the referees. Their talent is abundant yet they have not been able to win the "big games" when they count. However, WE WILL RETURN!
I think it is justified the Italian team keeps silent after speaking most they are disappointed with, the standard of the refereeing. There is no point in yelling again and again. Did you find any hints in which the Azzurri said South Korea is an inferior team? I guess if the refereeing appears to be fairer, their losing is more justified.
Italy certainly didn't deserve to go through on merit of their play, but then teams frequently do go through after playing badly by simply scoring more goals. And until the linesman stepped in this is what seemed to have happened. In other words, it is important to separate points about the refereeing from points about the quality of play.
michelle, Hong Kong
If it had been a case of one or two bad calls, or just bad luck, then the accusation of sour grapes would be justified, Italy however believes it was the victim of systematically biased refereeing for the entire game, and Totti's sending off and Tommasi's disallowed goal were only the culmination of this.
David, Englishman in Italy
Sometimes underdogs do win, no matter who were "more deserving" of the victory. Sometimes luck does dictate the game of football. If everything happened according to what the ranking chart dictated, we wouldn't be sitting here reading Sports Talk. But if you are on the receiving end of those rare moments in sports, you do not have the mental luxury to worry about "bad form," and everyone else should be quiet and live with it.
YH Choi, South Korea
FIFA only makes an error when it goes against your team. But when the team commits a foul purposely nobody complains.A human decision will never be perfect unless we analyze the instant replay. Is this what you want? Be careful what you wish for!
I was a great supporter of Italian football, but not anymore. What they showed in this World Cup was poor. They did not have good manner, they were narrow-minded, and they showed that they are not a great football country anymore. They keep complaining about decisions but they were over-confident in every match. Shame on you, Italians. One more thing: Totti, don't be so rude and disrespectful!
With all the soccer talent Italy has, why is watching their match as dull as watching grass grow? They were bad calls for sure, but I don't feel sorry for them one bit. They played their usual game of getting a goal early and the sitting on it for the next hour. They lived by that tactic, and then they died by it.
Italy did the best they could. The World Cup has already been turned into a farce!
Hongwei Xi, China
It is very difficult to have any sympathy with a nation whose football training manual includes how to dive and waste time. They should have taken their medicine and walked away with some dignity, hopefully this humiliation will force them to look more closely at themselves. Imagine how effective they could be if they actually played football?
Laurie Scott, Norway
I think that Italy have every right to be angry.They didn't deserve to lose to Korea. Veiri's goal should have been allowed and Totti shouldn't have got a red card.
miss E, uk
I love to watch Serie A. I love Italian football, but not their national team's football. I don't like their style of play. The Italian team will play with 13 defenders and a goal keeper if they have their way.
They have to realise that the best way to defend is to attack. Plus they should play football which suits the World Cup level. I feel really sorry for them, that a lot of their goals were disallowed as some of them seemed to be legitimate goals. But they should at least try to play football.
Look at the Polish team, they lost and went out but the way they played football was the best I have seen in this World Cup. Sorry Italy and well done Poland.
Italy v Korea was one of the most entertaining matches in the 2002 World Cup. However, I was so amazed by the outrageous reactions following the Italian defeat. Since when did such great champions have so much to blame on little calls by referees?
Kurdo Siyani, Australia
Before the match, Totti has said proudly in a media conference that the "Italians can put a goal in whenever they want to", and said that only one goal is enough, when asked how many goals they should score against Korea. So they scored ONE, and it looked like they didn't want to score another one.
Vieri was right in front of the goal one-on-one with the Korean goal keeper. All he had to do is tap it to score. But what did he do? He kicked it out high, as if he was a Korean defender. Who says only Europeans and South Americans should be the superpowers of football? As former World Cup champions, they should look into their own plays for any fault, not blame it on referees. What kind of a champion is that??
This country is not good for the game. Italy has to play by FIFA rules, but they try at every turn to break the rules and pay the price. Pulling shirts, questioning all calls and being the bad boys of soccer will not help their case.
In a major world-wide event such as the World Cup, one should never forget that you are representing your country in front of millions and millions of people from all over the world, on this level there is more at stake as your country's reputation and image is in the limelight for all to see. On this note, good sportsmanship is everything.
Two legitimate goals disallowed in one game; possibly two legitimate goals disallowed in the next game; a legitimate goal disallowed in the next, together with a possible penalty turned down and a player wrongly sent off. If Italy feel aggrieved, who can blame them?
Robin Lee, USA/Korea
John Brannan, Scotland
It takes a great deal of courage to admit one's limitation or failure. Italy would be better served by just saying that they have been beaten by a better team. That's all there is left to say. When you throw mud, you are going to get dirty yourself and worse, it does your cause no good. Italy were never meant to get any further in this World Cup. They were already fortunate to get where they were. So, be real men and stand up and be counted. Give credit where credit is due! Robert
Robert Lee, Singapore
I'm a fan and admirer of Italian football. I think Francesco Totti is the best player in the world and still is. But for this World Cup, Italy were very disappointing especially against Croatia ,Mexico & Korea. They don't deserve to be in the quarter-finals. The Azzurri were in the second round courtesy of Ecuador and out due to the Ecuadorean Referee, so not much to complain about after all.
Totti Foo, Malaysia
It would have been a Catch 22 for the Italians to have talked to the media after their controversial losses, especially to Korea. If they were to have criticised the refs they'd look like bad sports. And if they had taken the unjust loss in a humble manner then they'd never hear the end of it from the Italian press. There would be cries of conspiracy to lose. Their silence was the lesser of all evils in this case.
I am a big fan of the Italian team and I do feel they were victims of very poor refereeing decisions. Having said that, I do not feel sorry for them simply because with all the talent that they have Trapattoni would play with a goal keeper and ten defenders if he could. For me a great team is one that plays football and tries to win, not one that tries to avoid losing and then cries when it does!
Carlos Jack, Canada
Yasser Hamdi, France
The bottom line is quite simple. If the Italian's had lost 4-0 with no goals disallowed they would have still found a reason to be upset and talk to the media. It has happened before and will always happen when you combine your Olympic diving team with the World Cup football team
With regards to the article "Italian silence justified", is this a case of "damned if you do and damned if you don't"?
Italy have every right to be upset after the way that they have been treated. They just need to sit down and get their heads together, there's nothing they can do about what's happened now, just think how upset they must be feeling. They will talk to the media when they are ready and the media should respect that.
Kelly Burley, England
Italy chose silence rather than criticising Fifa. Italians are highly emotional and wear their hearts on their sleeve. Had they spoken their mind they would have been criticised for that too!
Italy have every right to feel upset, along with Spain and Portugal who also had ludicrous decisions made against them.
Ernie, Hong Kong
The Italian players have reacted to their exit in a totally unprofessional manner.
Michael Thompson, UK
Italian silence is justified. They haven't been treated well in this World Cup. It was their decision to walk off from the media conference and I fully support it.
The Italians were justified in not talking to the media. The officiating in the South Korea and Croatia games was disgraceful, costing them dearly in both cases.
Italian silence should be welcomed as a pleasant change. Trappatoni's constant whining on the touchline and his players diving and protesting will not be missed.
Darren Hart, Australia
After all the diabolical decisions given against them, can you really blame them? All five of their disallowed goals should have stood and, if they had, Italy would probably still be in the competition.
Neil Gibbs, Wales
It seems to me that the Italians thought playing a country like South Korea was beneath them. The biggest mistake in the game was a supposedly "world-class" striker missing from four yards. I am a referee myself, and think that the man in charge had a very good game.
Matthew Loxham, England
Bad calls, bad luck and getting lucky are all part of any sporting event. It shouldn't be an excuse for conspiracy theories and an overall unpleasant attitude. What the Italian team is disappointed about has less to do with bad calls, but rather with losing to what they think of as unworthy challengers.
Italy are sore losers. The ref had a decent game. Totti should not have received a second yellow, but equally it was certainly not a penalty. Italy must learn not to rely on a solitary goal leads.
Whatever the Italian team tactics were, the refereeing was far too biased to enjoy the game, even as a Korean. I would like to see the rematch of Korea and Italy - the game was complete nonsense.
Young Kim, South Korea.
They are entitled to be upset, but refusing to talk is indeed showing bad form. There have been errors by refs and players. The ref only called what he saw. If the players quit taking dives, we would not have to worry about whether a dive is a dive or not. Too many players are acting, pretending and cheating on the world stage.
After the refereeing of the match, the Italians were too frustrated to sign autographs and smile for the camera. They are humans too - why must people assume them to be non-emotional robots after the atrocious, biased refereeing.
All that energy should have been used in playing the matches instead of worrying about the refs. If they had scored more goals, then they would have won. But if you sit back and watch, you might just see it being taken away.
The disallowed goal - maybe the goal was offside, maybe it wasn't. The fact of the matter is the Korean goalkeeper had STOPPED playing once he heard the ref's whistle. How do all of you Italian fans know that the goal would've gone in if the Korean had actually been playing? Stop whining about it - you were playing in dead time and you know it.
J Kim,Korea / USA
Our defensive tactics have brought us: three World Cups, two runners-up places, one third place and two fourth places. Nobody, apart from Brazil, has done better. To all those who call us losers - remember, if the referees didn't disallow five goals, we would still be in the tournament, kicking out your team.
Italy haven't won a major tournament since the back pass rule was introduced. Sitting on a one-goal lead isn't as easy as it used to be when you could waste half the game knocking across the back four, then return it to the keeper for him to roll it out and start the whole thing again. If they actually tried to use all that attacking talent they'd still be in the World Cup. The game has changed - Italy need to come out of the Sixties and change with it.
I personally felt my country was robbed but the Italians should attack more, as we could have destroyed a weak Korean side. I can't understand why they always defend when they have the likes of Totti, Vieri, Montella and del Piero in attack who are all world class. They lost due to poor tactics and poor refereeing. But we will be back - FORZA ITALIA
William Fucilla, England/Italy
Where has the sportsmanship gone? Can't the Italians take responsibility for losing because of a poor performance and bad strategy? As soon as the game was over, the Italians started putting a spin on the whole thing, almost looking relieved that they had someone to put the blame on.
The Italians committed a tactical mistake. In fact, Italy have a new found 1-0 jinx - losing to France in Euro 2000 final, to Croatia and Korea, all after trying to sit on slender leads. They should try a more aggressive strategy in coming tournaments, though we have to feel sorry for their lack of luck.
It takes two years of qualification to get here and many thousands of miles of travel, then they finally get to the World Cup and are knocked out by impotent linesman and referees. Changes must be made, for the sake of the game, as soon as possible.
Turmania, The Netherlands
Italy only made it into the last 16 by scoring inside the last five minutes against Mexico. And then against supposedly weaker opposition they take shirt pulling, diving and simulation tactics to a new level - not the tactic of worthy world champions. The World Cup is better without them.
Steve Wilson, UK
Italy certainly have the right to be upset. The World Cup is more than just a game. National pride is at stake and for referees to decide the game at this level is disgraceful. I hope no other games are decided by horrible calls by referees.
Al Lesnick, USA
Italy were beaten by a better more determined team. They should stop complaining and can only blame themselves for the Loss. I think the referee did a good job.
It is very unsportsmanlike for the Italians not to talk to the media. Even if the referee made some mistakes, these kinds of things happen sometimes and they should learn to take it in their stride. The Italians prove to be sour losers.
Kumar, Indian in USA
Italy are entitled to be upset at the various episodes that penalized the team and its possibility of success. The bad decisions of some of the linesmen and referees were critical and helped built up a case to justify nonetheless a poor performance.
Enrique Guzzetti, Italy
At first I felt sympathy with the Italians. They had more than their share of bad luck. But as I saw how they reacted at their defeat, talking about conspiracy and playing down the Korean's achievement, I lost sympathy. The sacking of Ahn by Perugia is the ultimate proof of what sore losers Italians are.
Just about every team has had marginal offside decisions given against them - it's all part of the game so they should accept that it happens. The referee should be given a medal for awarding the penalty for two cynical pushing and shirt pulling fouls in the penalty area.
The refereeing was bad; however the Italian loss was completely predictable. If it wasn't the Koreans, the Spaniards would have proven yet again that a team can not sit on a one goal lead for 75 minutes. When will the Italians realize this?
They may have been hard done by in this game, but they will never win until they change their style of play.
Yes, the ref got the Totti decision wrong - not to deny a penalty, it never was - but to card him for a second time. The offside to deny Tomassi was marginal but probably wrong. But these things happen and if Vieri had taken his two clear chances Italy would be through.
Yes the Italians are sore losers. You have to take the rough with the smooth, and the ref did make a mistake with the sending off. However, it has been some time since I have seen a match so full of cynical fouls by one side, shirt pulling, holding, whacks in the face, blatant late tackles. The Italians also need to get fit South Korea ran rings round them for the last 15 minutes of regular time. A little humility may help as well.
Nigel Pond, USA
If Italy choose not to talk to the media, then that is their choice. However unsportsmanlike the may have been in defeat Fifa have absolutely no right to tell them to talk about it.
What should be more worrying are Luciano Gaucci's remarks in the removal of Ahn Jung-Hwan from Perugia. I assume that the Italian FA must now seriously reprimand him and the club or face FIFA and UEFA's wrath. More to the point what message does it send out to all the other top international players in Serie A?
If the Italian FA do not act Serie A, already a scarred and shamed league, will become nothing more than a European backwater with few international stars.
I thought the referee had a good game, although the second yellow for Totti was harsh. Tommasi's 'goal' can't really be counted as a goal because the Korean defence and keeper stopped as soon as the ref blew the whistle. The replays showed that he was marginally onside, but I suspect he would have been given offside nine times in ten.
At the end of the day, Italy's defeat comes down to their unwillingness to attack when 1-0 up, and Vieri's inability to kick a ball 6 yards with his right foot. Korea deserved to progress because of their never-say-die attitude. Spain had better watch out, because they often play the same way as Italians.
Nobody would have expected Italy to go out in the second round, but then nobody would have expected Argentina and France to be knocked out in the first. That's the World Cup.
Italy cannot complain of poor refereeing, at least he spotted Totti's dive. Also, Luciano Gaucci should respect that no national team player will put club interests ahead of that of his country. For a club chairman, his attitude mirrors that of a two year old.
I am sorry to say that I think the Italians were their own worse enemies. The amount of diving and feigning of injuries that went on was scandalous.
When players react this way it makes it very hard for the referee to make the right decisions.
Jake Palmer, England
Totti was already on his way down when contact was made. How can it be a conspiracy when Vieri had the chance (twice) to win it?
Shaun Kelly, Britain
I think in all fairness, when the whole thing calms down the Italians will have to hold their hands up and admit that their own style of play was as much their undoing as anything else.
Having said that, it's really pretty surreal that a referee so obviously out of his depth (I'd like to think that was all there was to it) should have been put in charge of such a crucial tie. Even more absurd when you consider that Italy's Collina refereed the other second round match of the day between Turkey and Japan, and was, as usual, just about impeccable.
Yes, the Italians are great at chewing sour grapes and yes, they do have a complex, and no, maybe they didn't deserve to go much further anyway, playing the kind of dour football that it almost hurts to watch, given their undoubted potential.
As for the players refusing to talk to the press, does anyone have any idea of the amount of hard work these fellas have put in over the past month or so, only to feel absolutely kicked in the teeth by the whole ridiculous situation? I really hope that Italian football at all levels (especially the clubs, whose petty in-fighting has meant that they don't even have a league chairman) can really learn something valuable from this, and finally get down to the business of re-building something real and concrete for the future.
Dave, Italy/ UK
Italians must learn to accept the results and learn more about sportsmanship. They were good but they were arrogant and defeated. Arrogance was their biggest weakness.
Jun, S. Korea
Are Italians so arrogant that they believe that they can only be beaten by South Korea if foul play were involved? Questionable decisions have always been part of the game and all teams have to live with it.
Truly great footballing nations (as I had previously believed Italy to be) should be able treat Kipling's 'two impostors' in the same way and therefore take this defeat (and well deserved victory by South Korea) on the chin 'like a man'.
It's hard to condemn the Italians when one bad decision comes after another. Keith Cooper of Fifa rightly defends the level of refereeing throughout the tournament, but can't he see that too many mistakes have been done to ONE team. Five disallowed goals and a sending off are not small matter. Not taking any credit from Korea's performance and Italy's lacklustre show, it's horrible to see such refereeing at this level.
Any team would have reacted the same way as Italy did (perhaps even more). All the more reason to introduce TV replays. Let's use the facilities that the other major sporting events make use of. The flow of the game is secondary to a major error suffered in the hands of bad refereeing.
Upali Pitigala, USA
Fair enough, the ref had a bit of a nightmare, but the players have to shoulder the blame. Vieri should have had the game finished earlier.
Dan Cartland, UK
England complained of Maradona's handball for almost a decade, while never mentioning your last very iffy penalty against Argentina. Five goals disallowed in three matches, numerous wrong decisions against Italy, and Italy should zip it, in the name of good form? For once don't be insecure, dare to be honest.
Football politics has destroyed this sport: Fifa are running a wrestling tournament, not a sporting event. In Britain you don't like the way we play, but you must admit that we have won three times as many World Cups. Enjoy this rigged show, if you are amused. Italy goes home, in the sun. Mr. Moreno has got his place in history, what an achievement for an overweight hopeless chap!
I watched the match and thought the referee did well. The commentators on Swiss TV thought the same, although they (as I did) thought the second yellow card for Totti was harsh. It is a sad reflection on the Italian people that they have reacted so badly, but I think after the earlier games this was the straw that broke the camel's back.
I wonder how sour England's grapes would be if they had five goals disallowed and Beckham sent off instead of being awarded a decisive penalty.
Am I the only one who remembers that Italy just barely scraped into the second round because Ecuador beat Croatia? Now they are blaming the Ecuadorian referee and saying he must have been bribed. For God's sake, grow up and realise that you may be a great team, but you certainly haven't played like one in this tournament. One win and one last gasp goal for a draw in the first round is not World beating form.
One mistake, maybe even two is acceptable. But when it happens twice in a game, then twice in the next...and then one more time what can you say?! Not to mention the outrageous double yellow on Totti.
Surely it is Fifa's job to do something about this - not change the results, but at the very least admit error - and discuss how to avoid in the future. Not deflect criticism so childishly. The linesmen should be trained in accordance with the increase in power they have been given.
Italy appear to be cursed with bad luck in this tournament. Sending off Totti seemed a bit harsh although he did overreact to what seemed like a close, but fair, challenge. The subsequent hysteria was understandable given the intensity of the occasion. But they behaved with so little grace and dignity that I revelled in their humiliation.
I think it is disgusting that Italy went out. Despite living in London, I am a huge fan of the Italians and I found the match against South Korea frankly hard to watch. The decisions made were definitely not in their favour (not just in their last match but throughout the tournament).
They are entitled to be upset, especially as South Korea have been criticising the Italian team after their defeat. To sing their own praises about how much better and fitter they were in the match is frankly laughable, especially as Italy were literally strangling South Korea throughout the game. They were definitely the best team on the pitch, despite having to play against the thousands that were in supporting their opponents in the stadium.
The Italians are right to be bitter. Referees are there to ensure that the rules are properly applied, not to judge some kind of beauty contest. To err is human but to annul five goals in a row is downright suspicious. Don't believe that dubious refereeing is not an issue - look at international cricket. Five have to admit there is a problem and has to take convincing action.
Martin Dawson, UK
Fifa ought to be ashamed, nothing else. I'm not referring only to Italy's matches but referee's decision in favour of Brazil against Belgium - as an example!
On the one hand I feel that Italy simply never learn their lesson. Those who have been supporting the Azzuri for as long as I have will not forget what happened at Italia '90. They defended a 1-0 lead over Argentina in the semis, only to lose it and go out in penalties.
In Euro 2000 it happened again, defending a meagre lead against France only to lose it in the dying minutes. When will the sporting administrators of Italy learn that the only way to win is to play a winning formula for 90 minutes?
Given the prominence of football in Italy, the national team should have the depth in playmakers matched only by Brazil. Yet this never happens. Why not? These are the questions that the Italian sporting administrators should be asking rather than blaming it all on a conspiracy in Korea.
Alexander, South Africa
Whilst much of the football in the World Cup has been fantastic, unfortunately the officials have not been able to maintain an equally high standard. Perhaps it's time to introduce video evidence?
Simon Merriman, England
It was a scandal. Italy deserved to win. I really hope Spain will not have the same welcome as the Italians.
Italy have been on the wrong end of some decisions - particularly in the group games. However great teams overcome obstacles and ultimately it was the Italian misses rather than refereeing that saw them go out.
Steve Edwards, UK
Man for man Italy are a much better team than Korea, but on the night they were hustled out of it by a more willing and motivated team. If there has been a conspiracy against Italy then Vieri must have been in on it! All this conspiracy talk is masking their own incompetence.
I think that it is a refreshing change to see the calls go against Italy for a change. Now they can experience the feeling that others have felt when they played Italy in prior World Cup finals.
The visible pain of the Italians and the incredible talk of conspiracy is only to be expected when we all witnessed the evidence. TV replays and close camera evidence will always provide retrospective talking points for panels of pundits.
We must employ technology to ensure decisions in all sports are consistent. However the Italians should have understood that currently decisions cannot be overruled, and made better efforts to secure the game earlier during their domination of the 90 minutes.
We will have to wait and see if anyother teams get as many wrongs as Italy. And if they do, will they say nothing about the ref or linesmen? When you wait four years for the World Cup to come around and to not play too bad, but to be sent home by too many mistakes it becomes a little hard to accept.
Mark Nieddu, UK
At the end of the day the Italians can whine all day long about the referee (with good reason) but they had one of the best opportunities any side will get in this World Cup to finish a game. Teach Vieri to kick a ball six yards with his right foot!
Italian footballers - overpaid spoilt babies. No wonder they threw their toys out of the pram!
Simon Jarvis, England
What bad form? Italy is definitely entitled to be upset after the shameful match by referee Moreno. Fifa must be silent. Blatter is ridiculous while speaking of fair play. Five goals denied in three matches. Enough is enough!
As an Italian fan, I have to admit to a certain level of disappointment and embarrassment at how Italy played in this tournament. With the wealth of talent they had available there was no reason to play so defensively and with so little passion.
With a little less arrogance, more tactical awareness and attack-minded play they could beat anyone. If they will not turn their skill into solid goalmouth chances they deserve to go home.
I think we have the right to be upset for what happened yesterday. Mistakes can be made, but as we say in Italy "Errare humanum est sed perseverare diabolicum". I believe you won't need the translation.
Plain as day, Italians are SORE LOSERS!
Italy has gone 'conspiracy' mad. They are convinced that the whole world is against them and that their exit was predestined by higher sources from the very start.The opposite view, namely that they are just not good enough, is too painful for them to handle and this is what has sparked all this undignified behaviour. I live here and I saw the game from a totally neutral perspective and they were just not good enough!
Robert Gray,Scot living in Italy