Antonio Conte has missed his press conference ahead of Tottenham’s FA Cup clash with Portsmouth as he mourns the loss of his former Juventus team-mate Gianluca Vialli.
Former Italy and Chelsea striker Vialli died aged 58 on Thursday night after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Conte was due to face the media this afternoon, but Tottenham assistant manager Cristian Stellini will attend the press conference.
Although the Italians played together at Juventus, they never played together for the national team, with Conte making his debut after Vialli had finished his career with the Italian national team.
Conte enjoyed a long spell at Juventus between 1991 and 2004, while Vialli joined him for a four-year spell at the club between 1992 and 1996.
In fact, Vialli captained Juventus during the 1995-96 season and when he left Serie A at the end of that season, it was Conte who took over as captain.
Both Italians played in a team that won the UEFA Cup in 1993, a Serie A title and Coppa Italia in 1995, and most notably the Champions League in 1996.
Vialli remains the last Juventus captain to lift the elite European award.
