How to beat the sex ban

Sex appeal: Italy are one of the most popular teams

By Kevin Buckley BBC Sport Online's man in the Italy camp in Sendai

Coach Giovanni Trapattoni's sex ban prohibiting visits from the girlfriends and wives of Italy's players has already been breached.

Rita Montella, wife of AS Roma striker Vincenzo, was reportedly found inside the heavily protected team hotel before the squad left for their crunch third phase game against Mexico.

Our man with Italy: Pressure on Trap

She was accredited as a "celebrity reporter" with an Italian TV network and was carrying a hand-held camera.

Soft-hearted Trap is said to have given her a choice:

If you're here as a reporter get out now;

If you're here as Vincenzo's wife, here's his room number.

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Pippo's phone faux pas

Striker Pippo Inzaghi is regretting answering his mobile phone before the match against Croatia.

Inzaghi blew his own chances of a World Cup start

He took a call from a top Italian TV journalist urgently looking for the "mister", Trap.

Pippo dutifully passed on the message to his boss.

Trap returned the call - and was tipped off about Croatia's attacking formation, innocently revealed to the Italian reporter during an interview with a Croatia squad member.

Trap reshuffled his side, opting for a more defensive line-up - and axed poor Pippo.

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Return to Sendai

Italy's players may still be adamantly refusing to sing their national anthem at match line-ups, but a new song is serving to lighten the mood at the "Azzurri" press camp

The verse was coined by the small British contingent as an ironic response to Italian complaints about English referee Graham Poll disallowing two Italy goals against Croatia.

And it follows the announcement that the squad would return to its Sendai base if the team were to make the final in Tokyo.

Pundit's view: Paul Elliott on Italy's struggles

"Return to Sendai" was first heard coming from the hotel lifts as the high-spirited three-strong Brit pack adapted the Elvis Presley classic Return to Sender:

Wrote a letter to Sepp Blatter
Put it in his sack
The very next morning
He sent my letter back
He wrote upon it:

Return to Sendai
Address unknown
Viva El Messico
You're going to Rome.