Football: Italy put dampener on Welsh hospitality

WELSH WATER is not good enough for Italy's superstar players - they have brought gallons of their own with them in preparation for today's European Championship clash with Bobby Gould's side at Anfield.

The Serie A millionaires have also brought all their own food, including tons of pasta, which has had to be stored in two rooms at the team's hotel in Ewloe, north Wales.

The Azzurri's antics have included changing the yellow curtains in the rooms because, apparently, the players could not sleep properly, and bringing their own chef with them.

But it was the gallons of mineral water that has amazed Welsh FA officials: "The Italians have brought enough water to have a lake of their own," said a source. "They wanted it to boil their own pasta in rather than the local water."

Giggs' mission, page 30