Trap set to hit back at ‘arrogance’ allegations

REPUBLIC of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni will deliver a firm and strong rebuttal today of “arrogance” claims made recently against him by Stephen Ireland after a meeting between the pair last year.

Trapattoni will announce his squad today for the defining World Cup Group 8 qualifiers against Italy and Montenegro next month, with the Manchester City midfielder again a notable absentee.

And any prospect of Ireland being parachuted into the squad if the Republic make it to South Africa next year appear to be dead now after another attack on the Irish set-up – this time specifying the Italian. “When I met Trapattoni for a chat last season, I felt there was a lot of arrogance going on,” Ireland told the Daily Mirror last weekend. “We were in the middle of chatting and he kept leaving the room to answer one of the four phones he had on him.”