National team must be all-Italian-born - Mancini

Inter coach Mancini believes the likes of Franco Vazquez and Eder should not have been given Italy calls.

Both players have been included in Antonio Conte’s Azzurri squad for the fixtures against Bulgaria and England.

Eder was born in Brazil, while Vazquez is Argentinian by birth but both qualify for the Azzurri through relatives. They are the latest in a series of so-called ‘oriundi’, immigrants of native ancestry.

Notable oriundi include World Cup winner Mauro Camoranesi and current midfielder Thiago Motta, but Mancini is not a fan of the system.

“The Italian national team must be Italian,” Mancini insisted as he arrived for a meeting of Serie A clubs.

“Those who aren’t born in Italy but have distant relatives shouldn’t be called-up, that’s my opinion.”

Dozens of foreign-born players — mainly Brazilians and Argentines — have appeared for Italy over the years, highlighted by Omar Sivori and Jose Altafini in the 1960's and Omar Camoranesi during the Azzurri's 2006 World Cup victory.

His views - coming only weeks after Arrigo Sacchi sparked a racism storm - had led to some criticism on social media.