Azzurri tracksuit a fitting reward for whistle-blower Farina

The Italian national team's next squad will include a new left-back. The position has seemed a bit of problem one for the Azzurri, although the call-up of Simone Farina ahead of next month's friendly against the USA will not solve it.

Farina is only a Serie B footballer, with Gubbio. He has been invited to join the Italy squad by Cesare Prandelli as a reward for his honesty, rather than his tackling, crossing or his pace. "We want to show how thankful we are to him," Prandelli said.

Farina, you see, is a whistle-blower. Just after the beginning of the season, he notified the police about a text message he had been sent by Alex Zamperini, a former teammate.

In it, Zamperini, acting on behalf of match-fixers, had offered €200,000 (Dh954,160) to Farina to share between himself and three other Gubbio players, if they would agree to let in a specified number of goals during a Coppa Italia match against Cesena.

Farina, 29, immediately rejected the chance to earn himself the equivalent of half a year's salary by notifying the authorities.

He insists he did nothing exceptional. But he and Prandelli know that other players – Atalanta's Italy international Cristiano Doni is currently serving a ban and was arrested again last month – have colluded with match-fixers.

Putting Farina in an Azzurri tracksuit may not discourage all future miscreants, but it is an admirable gesture from a national coach who patently believes honour has a value in the sport.