Italian football has been rocked by the news that inspirational captain Fabio Cannavaro will not be able to play in the European Championships.
Cannavaro collided with teammate Giorgio Chiellini in training and landed awkwardly on his ankle, causing substantial damage to his ligaments and ruling him out of the tournament.
Italy have called up Fiorentina s Alessandro Gamberini as a replacement and they have cover in the squad with Andrea Barzagli and Marco Materazzi, while Chiellini and Christian Panucci can play at centre back rather than full back.
Despite the adequate replacements they have and the fact that legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is likely to take over as captain, the loss of Cannavaro cannot be underestimated.
The thirty-four year old …