Italy coach Antonio Conte said that he left Andrea Pirlo and Sebastian Giovinco out of his squad of 30 players leading up to Euro 2016 because they opted to play Major League Soccer.
Former AC Milan and Juventus midfielder Pirlo was a surprise omission, having been convinced by Conte to reassess his plan to retire after the 2014 World Cup.
Pirlo, 37, played a part in Italy qualifying for Euro 2016, but he has not featured since playing in the 1-0 win over Malta last September, and Conte admitted that the player's decision to join New York City FC from Juventus last summer affected his national team chances.