(ANSA) - Rome, November 17 - Former Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura said Friday that he will be the Azzurri's "number one fan" after he was sacked this week following the national team's shock failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. "I hope my successor takes Italy back to where we deserve to be," Ventura told ANSA. Regarding Italy's loss to Sweden in the World Cup qualification playoffs, Ventura said: "defeats, especially the most painful ones, cannot be explained by just one truth".
Soccer: I'm Italy's No. 1 fan after sacking - Ventura
'Not one truth in defeat' says ex coach after World Cup failure