Mike Griffin has been in Brazil collecting signatures throughout the World Cup and last night put the icing on the cake with a signature from a newly crowned World Cup winner.

It seems an age ago that Xavi walked into a press conference in Salvador before Spain began their defence of this trophy, full of hope and with earned dreams of further history.

Bits and pieces from the sidelines in Brazil

Just a few short weeks ago — which now feels more like many long years, — Ireland were sitting pretty and serene in their Montecatini base in Tuscany while no more than 30 miles away at their Coverciano training camp, Italy’s footballers were waking up to dawn raids, shock-horror headlines and all the trappings of another explosive calcio scandal.

Euro 2012 will be Giovanni Trapattoni’s third time to lead a team at the finals of a major international competition. Paul Kelly looks at the campaigns in which his under-achieving Italy recorded two wins, three draws and two defeats.

Given the extent of globalisation in football these days, distinct national traits are increasingly hard to define.

PROFESSOR Niall Moyna has claimed October’s International Rules series defeat to Australia proved there are serious flaws in the GAA’s generic training techniques.

ONE-TIME Man City goalkeeping target Gianluigi Buffon says he is glad he turned down the Light Blues, because their defenders are not good enough.

David O’Leary has made a return to football management after a four-year absence with Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates.

TRADITIONALLY, Brazil were the team that made f-words not only acceptable but unavoidable. Words like finesse, flair, flash, flamboyant. And going into yesterday’s World Cup quarter final against Holland, they seemed to have been superceded by another, more all-embracing term: formidable.

OUTGOING captain Fabio Cannavaro insists changes are needed in Italian football or the team could face a lengthy wait before regaining the World Cup.

ITALY coach Marcello Lippi is remaining calm ahead of his team’s final World Cup Group F match against Slovakia today.

NEW ZEALAND coach Ricki Herbert was ecstatic last night after world champions Italy were saved from humiliation against his team of minnows only by a controversial penalty.

Italy 1 New Zealand 1

DEFENDING champions Italy had to come from behind to salvage a draw in their World Cup Group F opener against Paraguay in Cape Town last night.

Italy 1 Paraguay 1

Defending UAE League champions Al Ahli have announced the shock signing of Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro on a two-year deal.

Italy have dropped Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi from their 23-man World Cup squad.

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro has announced he will retire from the national team after the World Cup.

HOW do you solve a problem like Mario?

CRAVEN COTTAGE hasn’t been known for its thrilling nights of European football – not until now, that is.

Fulham 4 Juventus 1 (Agg: 5-4)

BOBBY ZAMORA is glad to have finally proved a point to the Fulham fans who booed him at the start of the season.

Juventus 3 Fulham 1

Italy 0 Holland 0

Liam Lawrence has been handed a World Cup debut as the Republic of Ireland attempt to keep their qualification dream alive against reigning champions Italy tonight.

Captain Robbie Keane is backing Liam Lawrence to make his mark as the Republic of Ireland attempt to halt Italy’s charge to the World Cup finals.

WITH his Italian side top of Group 8, and needing just one point from their last two games to secure qualification for next year’s World Cup finals, you would think Marcello Lippi would be full of the joys of life right now. You would be wrong.

Italy boss Marcello Lippi tonight insisted the Fabio Cannavaro saga was at an end.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi gave few clues about his line-up for tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni insisted today that the Fabio Cannavaro controversy would have no impact on Marcello Lippi’s preparations for tomorrow night’s game.

Fabio Cannavaro is to join the Italy squad in Coverciano as originally planned on Sunday despite being under the cloud of drug test controversy.

Sean St Ledger’s whirlwind start to his international career will move up another notch if he is pitched into battle with world champions Italy tomorrow night.

ITALIAN captain Fabio Cannavaro has failed a doping test.

Italian World Cup winner Marco Tardelli will have no qualms about denting his native country’s defence of their title in Dublin on Saturday evening.

ITALY must brace themselves for intense Celtic passion on and off the field when they meet the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, midfielder Daniele De Rossi has said.

LIAM BRADY has made it clear that he is keen to stay on as assistant manager to Giovanni Trapattoni for the next two years but says that the decision will ultimately be up to his employers at Arsenal, where the former Gunner and Irish international heads up the club’s youth academy.

MARCELLO LIPPI yesterday hailed Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni’s management skills and stressed his Italy side would be foolish to play for a point in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier at Croke Park.

Italy need just one point to qualify for the World Cup but coach Marcello Lippi insists they will be playing to win in Ireland on Saturday.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has named a 24-man squad for the World Cup qualifiers away to the Republic of Ireland on Saturday and at home to Cyprus four days later.

Juventus 1 Bordeaux 1

BARELY four minutes into Wednesday night’s game between Italy and Bulgaria the Turin crowd was already aware that something had changed.

ITALY made their reservations for the World Cup finals in South Africa last night after a dramatically improved performance against Bulgaria in Turin.

GIUSEPPE ROSSI is confident Italy will rediscover their goalscoring touch in tonight’s World Cup qualifier in Georgia.