Franco Foda has said that he would not feel any sympathy for Italy if his Austria side eliminate Gli Azzurri in the Round of 16 of Euro 2020 on Saturday evening.
The 55-year-old has been the coach of Das Team since 2018, but he was born and raised in Germany, and his father originates from the Veneto region in Italy.
“I would not be sorry or sad at all, even if my father is Italian,” Foda said in his press conference.
“I live in Austria, I am the coach of Austria, and we have already written history to be in the second round.
“I would be delighted to go to the quarter-finals by beating Italy.”
This is the first time that Austria have officially qualified for the knockout rounds of a European Championship, having failed to progress out of the group in the 2008 and 2016 editions.
The Austrians did reach the quarter-finals in the first edition in 1960, but only the results from the semi-finals, third-place play-off, and final are counted due to just four teams participating in the official tournament at the time.
