Gabriele Gravina is living out of a suitcase at the moment. Arriving in Iserlohn with the Azzurri on Monday, the FIGC president was able to greet the 5,000 Italians coming from all over Germany for the squad’s first training session. After the grand opening of Casa Azzurri alongside Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, he returned to Rome where the Consiglio Federale was held today. In the afternoon, he will fly back to Germany to be alongside Head Coach Spalletti and the players on the eve of their European Championships debut. Gravina stated: “We haven’t left anything to chance for our National Team in terms of organisation and every detail has been addressed to best prepare for these three games. We are certain to be working in the best way possible just as we have the awareness of being in a group of death. But we need to believe in ourselves when faced with difficulty, our commitment is directly proportional to the level of what we must face”.

Three years ago, his debut as FIGC president at a Euros campaign ended in a title win at Wembley. And the photo from that unforgettable evening is proudly displayed on the walls of the Sala Paolo Rossi beside images of other great Azzurri successes: “The initial enthusiasm is much greater than three years ago. I have goosebumps just thinking about what we experienced when arriving in Germany a few days ago. The welcome from our fans was moving”.