More injury fears for Italy as Ravanelli gets sick

SENLIS, France, June 9 (AFP)

Feverish Italy striker Fabrizio Ravanelli cancelled a scheduled news conference on Tuesday after being taken ill with a temperature of 38 and a cough. Ravanelli was a no-show at the squads training base here and was being taken by a team doctor for checks, designed to counter any possible complications. With Alessandro Del Piero already ruled out of Thursdays World Cup opener against Chile, the last thing coach Cesare Maldini needs now is for the Olympique Marseille striker to go down with the flu or a chest infection. Roberto Baggio will lead Italys attack alongside Christian Vieri in Bordeaux, but Ravanelli was expected on the substitutes bench.

© - AFP - 1998