Former Italy manager Arrigo Sacchi has said that there are “too many players of colour” in Italian youth teams.

Speaking at an awards ceremony on Monday night in Italy, Sacchi made his feelings clear regarding the current set-up of Italian football and in particular the number of foreign players earning a living in the country.

Sacchi, who also managed AC Milan and Real Madrid, was quoted by Italian media saying: “I’m not racist and my history as a coach shows that but watching at the Viareggio Cup (a youth football tournament held in Tuscany) makes me think there are too many players of colour.

“Business interests now come first. Italy has no dignity, it has no pride: you shouldn’t have squads including 15 foreigners.”

The 68-year-old’s Milan team was famous for the flair of Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit, a point Sacchi used to worm his way out of being labelled a racist.

“I was just saying that I’d watched a match in which there was a team that included four boys of colour.

“My history speaks for itself, I’ve always trained teams with diverse players of colour and they won a lot, both at Milan and in Madrid.

“I just wanted to underline the fact that we’re losing our national pride and identity.”

He went on to add: “I have been misrepresented, do you really think I’m racist?”

Italy’s reputation for accepting ethnic minorities in football will not be helped with these latest comments.

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli was subject to racist abuse while playing for Inter and AC Milan and widely not accepted by the Italian national side.

Back in November, newly elected Italian Football Federation  president Carlo Tavecchio was banned from involvement with Fifa for six months after referring to African players “eating bananas.”