Versatility was the key factor for Marcello Lippi, the Italy coach, in deciding on his final 23-man World Cup squad, and that is why he selected Fabio Quagliarella, the Napoli forward, over Giuseppe Rossi and Marco Borriello.
"That was the key criteria," Lippi said yesterday at Italy's training camp in the Italian Alps.
"The choices were all made based on adaptability to different positions on the field. All the exclusions were tough to make and Giuseppe Rossi was especially difficult because he's been with us the longest."
Lippi also cut Salvatore Sirigu, the fourth goalkeeper, the defender Mattia Cassani and Andrea Cossu, the midfielder, two hours before Fifa's midnight deadline on Tuesday.
Rossi was born in the United States to Italian parents and has dual citizenship but has set his heart on playing for Italy. He has appeared 14 times for the Azzurri, scoring three goals, but struggled in the second half of last season with Villarreal, his Spanish club.
Quagliarella can play virtually any position in attack and is also a scoring threat from outside the box, as evidenced by several spectacular goals this season. Lippi retained nine players from the team that won the title four years ago in Germany, including the Al Ahli-bound Fabio Cannavaro.
"Everyone was saying, and I still hear it today, that I'm too attached to the champions. But I've changed 50 per cent of the squad," Lippi said. "We've got a lot of young players and they're really all experts. They're the future of the national team, but they've also got to be the present."
* AP
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Coming 2 America
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5