DPA/Rome

Having more than half of Italy’s Serie A footballers coming from abroad may be a positive signal for those who enjoy seeing the game become an increasingly global event.
But Antonio Conte, who is not known as a chauvinist, thought otherwise as he drew a list of 28 footballers for a Euro 2016 qualifier against Malta tomorrow in Florence, to be followed by another Group H match with Bulgaria Sunday in Palermo.
With Italian footballers a minority in the Italian Serie A, Conte must be envying his predecessor Marcello Lippi, who lifted the World Cup in 2006, when about two thirds of top-flight footballers were natives.
When Conte watches weekend games to decide his call-ups, only 45 of players are potential Azzurri - according to 2014 data from the Football Observatory of CIES (International Centre for Sports Studies), based in Neuchatel, Switzerland.
His frequent complaints about a narrowing field of candidates have been backed by the domestic football federation (FIGC), who in November drew new rules limiting to 25 the rosters of Serie A teams, specifying that they must include four footballers grown in Italy and four coming from the club’s youth team.
As he hopes for possible positive effects, Conte may have very little interest in watching games of Inter Milan, Lazio or Fiorentina, who often play without a single Italian on the pitch and in 2014 had about 80 per cent of expatriates in their line-ups.
Champions Juventus were at 50 per cent natives, and only seven of 20 Serie A squads had a higher rate.
The result is a lack of fresh talent, which still forces Conte to rely on three 2006 world champions - no new goalkeeper nearing the class of captain Gianluigi Buffon, 37, while free-kick specialist Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi have no rivals in midfield.
“Against Croatia and Portugal (in June, Pirlo) was one of the best on the pitch,” said Conte.
Pirlo, 36, plays now at New York City FC, where he moved in July after four titles with Juve, and is poised to be at the French-hosted Euro 2016 if the Azzurri qualify.
“I was hoping (to be called) and I hope for more occasions,” Pirlo said. “With Malta and Bulgaria it will be two important games because we still have to secure qualification.”
The lack of world beaters, particularly up front, could reopen the door to Mario Balotelli, the unruly striker who this month returned to AC Milan after a disappointing season at Liverpool.
Balotelli, 25, led the Azzurri attack at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where Italy, then under Cesare Prandelli, were sent packing in the group phase.
“The gates of La Nazionale are not closed for anybody,” Conte said.  “You must deserve to be part of this group through your performance at the weekend, through your behaviour and moral attitude, which we care about. Therefore is up to Balotelli to deserve a return with La Nazionale.”
Conte’s hopes for more natives to chose from, and possibly have them for training camps in mid-season, are the same that Prandelli nursed in his four-year tenure. The coach, however, said Monday at a talk show on the public radio channel Radio 1 that La Nazionale is very unlikely to gain importance.
“The clubs have too much power. They have exclusively economical interests and no kind of sports interest, therefore I am very pessimist. I tried it myself,” Prandelli said.