English referee Anthony Taylor has been on the end of a sensational attack by Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport ahead of the last 16 clash between the Azzurri and Austria.
The claims were made after Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi made moves to get the Euro 2020 final moved from Wembley to Rome amid fears over rising Covid cases.
Now there are concerns that Taylor will want Roberto Mancini's side, who play at Wembley, to lose against their unfancied opponents.
Italy were one of three sides to advance through the group stages with nine points and continue to impress.
Corriere dello Sport claim the appointment of Taylor "sent shivers" down the spines of Italian people.
The piece went on to say: "It is clear that as sportsmen we have a duty to believe that, even in football-business, the highest values prevail and that revenge and jokes are not part of the practices of those who govern football.
"However, when we read yesterday morning that the Englishman Anthony Taylor had been designated for the match with Austria, a shiver ran down the back of several insiders and some non-neutral observer of the Italian national team. Simple coincidence? Pure randomness?"
Despite the criticism Taylor has been widely praised for how he handled Christian Eriksen's cardiac arrest in the opening week of the tournament.
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As a result he was appointed to referee the Portugal - Germany contest.
Despite the attempts of the Italian Prime Minister Wembley will host the Euro 2020 final on July 11.
The Azzurri though have equalled a national record have gone unbeaten for 30 games, a feat previously achieved by World Cup winning coach Vittorio Pozzo between 1935 and 1939
No trophy has yet come their way though and Mancini insists their record will count for little if they cannot deliver success.
“It’s nice to have equalled a legend like Pozzo. But he has more important trophies than the 30 games.
“In the European Championship there’s France, Portugal and Belgium – one of those are world champions, another are European champions and the other are the number one ranked side in the world.
“These are teams who have been built over a number of years and it’s only natural they are further along than us but everything can happen in football, you shouldn’t take anything for granted.
“Every match is difficult, you always have to go out there and play. I’ve been fortunate in that I have had some very good players who like playing the game, they enjoy being out there and like taking risks.
“The players are the ones who deserve the credit. I try to explain my thought process and there is still a long way to go.”
