The original plan was for the two footballing nations to meet in New York, provoking memories of the World Cup clash in 1994 held at Giants Stadium which Ireland surprisingly won thanks to a goal by midfielder Ray Houghton. However, Italian FA president Giancarlo Abete, is reported to not want the match to take place in the US and would like a European venue that is not London. The Stade Badouin seems to be the favourite at the moment.
The game is likely to played on June 7, and will follow a hectic two weeks for the Republic of Ireland as the squad face Northern Ireland and Scotland shortly afterwards in the Carling Cup. On June 4 Ireland travel Skopje for a European Championship 2012 qualifier against Macedonia.
Should the friendly match be confirmed, it will the third time that Ireland will play Italy during manager Giovanni Trapattoni’s reign.
