ROME (AFP) - Italy midfielder Gennaro Gattuso has upped the ante ahead of their Euro 2008 qualifier against France on Wednesday by labelling Raymond Domenech's side "bad losers".
Italy beat France to win the World Cup final in July, thus taking revenge for France's 'golden goal' victory over the Italians which handed them the European Championship trophy in 2000.
Both sides meet at the Stade de France on Wednesday in a group B encounter which some have labelled a revenge match.
Many of the France players have played down that suggestion, however statements by AC Milan midfielder Gattuso will not help smooth the prickly relations between the two football giants
"When we lost the Euro 2000 10 seconds from the end we didn't go around moaning about it afterwards," Gattuso told reporters at Italy's training ground near Florence on Monday.
"It's true that we usually find it a bit hard to swallow defeats, but they (France) are a lot worse.
"At least on that score, Italy come runner-up to France," added Gattuso, who has scored just one goal in 48 appearances for Italy.
Earlier, France defender Lilian Thuram had said that they had deserved to win the World Cup final.
"We should have won that final. I wouldn't call it a historical glitch, but at least on the pitch we were the team which performed better.
"Really, the best team on the night didn't win."
sports.yahoo.com . . .
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The London 2012 bidders and Lance Armstrong, who were both accused by the French of cheating, both know how he feels.