Foreign stars might make Italian teams more successful but they make it harder to build up the national side, says coach Cesare Mal dini (left).
Inter Milan's "United Nations" side won the UEFA Cup against Lazio but Maldini, who is struggling to find enough world-class midfielders for France '98, remains a fierce critic of the recent invasion.
Asked how important foreign players have been this season, Maldini said: "You only have to look at the UEFA Cup final to find the answer: the team who won had eight foreigners."
The 66-year-old is particularly bitter about the Bosman Ruling of December 1995 by the European Court, which dismantled all previous limits on the number of EU nationals that clubs are allowed to field.
"The Bosman ruling has conditioned the whole of European football, and therefore ours too. Let's take one example, to make things clear," he said.
"At the moment I am looking at my list of midfielders and seeing if I can add a few names. Good. Well actually it's not good, it's bad, because I now realise that the only club with three Italians in that position is AS Roma.
"And to think that the midfield is the vital area for every team. On the positive side, though, I can count on an incredible number of strikers. Perhaps even too many. And to think that once upon a time we were the nation of defenders.
"Today, if you find a player who is really good in defence or in the middle, there's a punch-up to sign him - just like it used to be a few years ago with centre forwards."
Not content with supplying two prime candidates for their World Cup squad - defender Taribo West and striker Nwankwo Kanu (right) - Inter Milan are to provide Nigeria with a team trainer for France '98. After a meeting this week between Nigeria coach Bora Milutinovic and senior Inter executive Sandro Mazzola, the Serie A club are to loan their first team's physical trainer Claudio Bordin for the duration of the World Cup finals.
Bordin will start work officially with the African squad on May 28th, but will get to meet the players this week during a training spell in Switzerland. The initiative is Inter's second connection with France '98 - the Italian club will be hosting Iran's World Cup squad at their Appiano Gentile training ground during the last two weeks of this month.
Brazil striker Edmundo (left) has been told by his club Fiorentina that he will have to miss out on the national side's training camp this week. Edmundo was all set to fly out, but the absence of skipper and top striker Gabriel Batistuta - himself on international duty with Argentina - leaves the team a striker short for their last match of the season, at home to AC Milan.
The setback is only the latest for the volatile ace, who now seems unlikely to return to Florence after France '98, despite having just signed a four-year contract and scored four goals in his eight league games.
England's group rivals Colombia could be without veteran star Carlos Valderrama (right) at the finals in France this summer.
The 36-yearold, capped over 100 times and due to appear in his third successive finals, owes nearly £20,000 in unpaid tax dating from his two seasons with French club Montpellier in the late 1980s.
The Colombian Football Federation (FCF) say that Valderrama, best known for his extravagant hairstyle, will not play unless the matter is resolved quickly.
FCF president Alvaro Fina said: "If the situation is not resolved in the next few days we may well not take Valderrama to France.
"The FCF cannot afford to take somebody who owes money in France as it will affect the rest of the squad's morale."
Meanwhile national coach Hernan Dario Gomez has included Middlesbrough striker Hamilton Ricard and former Newcastle ace Faustino Asprilla, now with Parma, in his final 22 for the finals, according to Colombian television.
