Overview

• Speaking at the Festival dello Sport in Trento on Oct. 12, Luciano Spalletti said Francesco Acerbi initially agreed to a pre-convocation before backing out via text ahead of the Norway qualifier.
• Spalletti said he turned to the 37-year-old after Acerbi’s decisive display against Barcelona and because Gianluca Gabbia, Nicolò Buongiorno and Riccardo Gatti were injured.
• Acerbi has previously said he refused because he felt disrespected and did not want a one-off appearance at his age.
• The episode preceded Italy’s 3-0 loss to Norway in June 2025 and fed into the turbulent end of Spalletti’s tenure as national coach.
• Spalletti admitted missteps in trying to impose his methods, criticized a lack of accountability among players, and praised Rino Gattuso’s current Italy while expressing confidence in World Cup qualification.