De Rossi blasts Northern League

Italy midfielder Daniele De Rossi has hit out at the Northern League political party.

The Northern League is a group of previously minor regional parties whose ultimate aim is for an independent northern Italy, known as Padania.

They have limited political sway outside the north, although in the last general elections did poll more than eight per cent of the national vote, and as much as 27 per cent in Veneto and almost 22 per cent in Lombardy and are part of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition government.

Members of the Northern League recently criticised the inclusion of players in the Italy squad who are not of pure Italian blood, such as Brazilian-born Amauri, who only received Italian papers in March, and Mario Balotelli, whose parents are Ghanaian immigrants.

“The decision to select players of other origins is one that concerns only the coach, the Northern League should mind its own business,” said Roma’s De Rossi, who hails from the capital.

“Above all, two months ago (during the World Cup) no-one from the League was supporting us, in fact they were more interested in Paraguay’s results.

“It’s obvious that Italy has always been related to a sense of belonging but in football all you need to do is look at what happens in Spain and Germany, it’s going in this direction.

“And before in the team there was (Argentina-born Mauro) Camoranesi and now there’s Amauri.

“It doesn’t seem to me like there’s been a great change and in any case as far as I and my team-mates are concerned, whoever is part of this group will always be well received.”

Some members of the Northern League cheered Italy’s disastrous World Cup defence in South Africa, where they crashed out in the group stages without winning a game and following a 3-2 defeat to minnows Slovakia.

But De Rossi said that some of his own club’s fans reacted in that way and that such behaviour doesn’t bother him.

Asked whether Italy newboy Balotelli, a favourite villain for Roma fans last season, would be jeered if he played for Italy in Rome, De Rossi replied: “Everyone knows that the Roma fans don’t like Mario.

“But on the other hand these fans feel more for their own club than the national team.

“Few of them were disappointed when we were knocked out of the World Cup.

“But I’m different, even if I’m Roman and a Roma fan, I’ve always been very emotional about Italy.”