BBC News | Football | Platt admits bench defeat

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Saturday, December 19, 1998 Published at 10:52 GMT

Platt admits bench defeat

Platt admits bench defeat
David Platt has admitted partial defeat in the row with Italy's soccer authorities over his new job coaching Serie A side Sampdoria.

He has decided not to sit on the bench when he takes charge of the struggling team for the first time on Sunday.

The former England captain said: "I wouldn't want to inflame anything by trying to get round it and so I will be sitting in the stand for my first match.

"I have one Italian coaching certificate and I intended doing the course for the full badge in the new year," Platt said.

Not qualified

Italy's soccer authorities have already ordered Sampdoria to remove their new coach, because Platt does not have the necessary coaching qualifications.

Strict rules in Italy mean that coaches must possess a licence before they take over first team duties.

Platt only retired as a player at Arsenal in the summer and the Italian federation says Sampdoria will be fined if the 32-year-old takes just one first team training session.

Club president Enrico Mantovani was told to get rid of his new appointment by the federation's technical chief, Mario Valitutti, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

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Mantovani is a member of the Italian federation council headed by Valitutti, who has warned that disciplinary proceedings will be taken against both the club and their "supervisor" for breaking Article 1 of a sporting code.

The official is said to be furious after warning the Genoa club beforehand that Platt could only be hired to coach the youth squad, while he studied for the "prima categoria" exams necessary to coach in Serie A.

Azeglio Vicini, president of the Italian coaches' association (AIA) also warned Sampdoria before Platt's arrival that there was no way he would accept the Englishman.

Vicini, a former Italian national coach, met with Mantovani and Valetotti and has warned the club president against trying to overthrow the federation's rules in a civil court.

The Italians are worried that their reputation for supplying Europe's top clubs with coaches such as Giovanni Trapattoni and Fabio Capello will be undermined by an Englishman entering their game with no licence.

Use some common sense - Vialli

England's more open system has already allowed Platt's Italian friend Gianluca Vialli to instantly become a trophy-winning player/coach at Chelsea.

He has called upon the Italian authorities to use common sense and believes the rules in his homeland are too strict.

"We have to give David the opportunity to show that he's good enough to be a manager and maybe, while he's doing the job, he might get the qualification," said the former Sampdoria striker.

"Arrigo Sacchi had a saying that you don't need to have been a horse to be a jockey.

"I'm not interested in getting the qualification for the sake of it. If it's just a piece of paper I'm not interested in that, only if it would mean I was a better manager."

Whatever happens, Vialli hopes that Platt will not be adversely affected by the added pressure now on him as he tries to turn around the fortunes of a club lying fifth from bottom of Serie A in his first ever managerial post.

"I hope that it doesn't affect David as he doesn't deserve that. He's gone there with a lot of enthusiasm," he said.

"But I think he can do it though. It's a challenge for him but I know that he likes a challenge. If you've got guts you can make it and I'm sure David's got guts."

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