Dibu Martínez fires back at Gattuso: "They don't know South America" | OneFootball

After the Italian coach complained about the number of spots that Conmebol receives for the World Cup, the goalkeeper of the Argentine National Team pointed out the differences in challenges faced in South American football compared to the Old Continent.

After Gennaro Gattuso, the current coach of the Italian national team, criticized the number of spots South America has to qualify for the World Cups, the goalkeeper of the Argentine National Team, Emiliano Martínez, picked up the gauntlet and responded forcefully, asserting that in Europe «they don't know what South America is«.

«They always play on perfect, slightly wet fields…They don't know what South America is. There are other complexities that Europe doesn't see«, stated Dibu, in a conversation with DSports, regarding the words of the temperamental former Italian midfielder.

Delving into those "complexities" he mentioned, Martínez highlighted the playing conditions, the long travels, and even the pressure presented by the atmosphere of each match in the Conmebol Qualifiers.

The controversy arose after Gattuso complained about the number of qualifying spots for the World Cup that Conmebol receives compared to UEFA. «It's not fair that six teams from South America qualify and the seventh plays the playoff, while here the groups are so tight«, expressed the former player, while also stating that it caused him «some sadness» to see six South American teams qualify directly for the World Cup.

The truth is that Gattuso's words are rooted in Italy's poor performances in the recent Qualifiers. After lifting the World Cup in 2006, the Azzurra was eliminated in the group stage in South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014, and then failed to qualify for the tournaments in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. Now, they are in second place in Group I led by Norway, a team they must defeat by nine goals if they want to secure a direct ticket to the United States, Mexico, and Canada 2026.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.