Top > Sport > 2006 > May > 2006-05-17

Totti and Buffon Goes to Germany

Marcello Lippi, coach for Italy`s football team, has announced his chosen 23 for the upcoming World Cup in Germany. It seems that the fact of Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon being investigated for suspected illegal betting, did not interfere with Lippi`s decision and Buffon will play for Italy in Germany.

Roma captain Francesco Totti also gets the nod despite having not played a full competitive game since returning to action after breaking a bone in his left leg in February. AC Milan`s Fillipo Inzaghi, whose last game for Italy was against Azerbaijan in October 2003 before a series of injuries blighted his career, is rewarded for a superb spell at the end of the season with a place among the strikers.

Lippi defended his decision to select Buffon, who has admitted to betting on matches in the past, before stopping last year when the Italian football federation prohibited all kinds of gambling. "Buffon hasn`t been charged with anything, so we have no problem taking him," he said. Totti insisted he would be 100 percent fit by the time the tournament begins. "When I arrive in Germany on June 12 I will be in top form," he said. "The more I play, the better I feel. I still have a month to get fitter."