The facts: The match between Italy and Spain, scheduled for this afternoon, was meant to be part of the Fifa eNations StayAndPlay Cup tournament, in which each national team is represented by a professional player and a gamer. Italy initially entered the defender Alessio Romagnoli from AC Milan and the gamer Raffaele ‘Er_caccia98’ Cacciapuoti from Monza.
However, a problem arose when Spain, exploiting a rule that allows for a celebrity instead of a footballer, fielded the pro gamer Jaime Gravesen Alvarez. Adriano Galliani, the managing director of Monza, was furious about the unfairness and threatened to lodge a complaint with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and FIFA.