(ANSA) - Azzurri soccer officials expressed satisfaction Tuesday that Italy is among the eight teams to be seeded for next summer's World Cup in Germany.
The news means Italy's will not be put in the same group as any of the other top footballing nations when the World Cup draw is carried out in Leipzig on Friday.
"It seems that the tradition and prestige of Italian soccer has once again been recognised," Italy coach Marcello Lippi said on television.
"I did not consider it to be too important a factor - (not being seeded) might just have brought problems of a psychological nature.
"Naturally though, we are pleased It makes us very proud and we hope to exploit the situation to the full."
The other seeds are Germany (host), Brazil (holder), Argentina, England, France, Spain and Mexico.
"Italy has been seeded because it deserves to be," explained Franco Carraro, the president of Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC).
"Let it be clear - FIGC did not lobby or apply any special pressure."
The seeding was based on the rankings of world soccer's governing body FIFA over the last three years and results at the last two World Cups.
Brazil easily came top of the seeding table with 64 points.
Italy squeezed into the top eight. It came joint seventh with Argentina with 44 points, just one more than the USA. The Netherlands was not seeded and therefore already poses a threat to the eight group leaders.
The Dutch outfit is high in the FIFA rankings but did not qualify for the 2002 World Cup. So, it came 10th in the seeding table, with 38 points.
The remaining World Cup teams will be drawn along geographical lines so that, for example, there are no more than two Ruropean nations in the same group and that two African sides do not meet in the first round. Carraro said the fact that Italy has been seeded should not fool anyone into thinking the Azzurri will have an easy ride to the knock-out stage of the competition.
"I remember that our group in the 2002 World Cup was considered easy, but then we had trouble qualifying," he warned.
"The group at Euro 2004 in Portugal was easy too, but that time we were knocked out. It's the field of play that establishes who is truly strong or weak."
