Sebastian Giovinco's agent Andrea D'Amico has accused Italy coach Giampiero Ventura of showing ignorance in leaving the Toronto FC forward out of his latest squad selection because he plays in Major League Soccer.
The former Juventus forward was once again left out of the Italy squad with Ventura basing his decision on his view that MLS is an inferior league, but D'Amico insists the Azzurri coach has not done his research.
"I was surprised by what Ventura said," D'Amico told tuttomercatoweb. "I think that without knowledge, you cannot be competent.
"The national team coach and his staff are obliged to go and see all Italian players in action, no matter what league they are playing in or the country they are in."
D'Amico says Giovinco's record of 55 goals and 28 assists over the past two seasons speaks for itself. To exclude a player simply because of the league they play in is wrong, D'Amico says, also using the example of Russia-based duo Domenico Criscito and Salvatore Bocchetti.
"All I can say is that numbers say everything for a forward and Sebastian is scoring a lot, much more than his Italian compatriots," he said. "MLS is a league full of top quality players and it is really growing, just like I also feel the Russian Premier League, where Criscito and Bocchetti play, is also competitive.
"They both have a great deal of international experience and they are proving themselves once again at the highest levels this year. Let's not forget that it was Zenit [St Petersburg] with Criscito who knocked Ventura's Torino out of the Europa League."
Giovinco, Criscito and Bocchetti will not give up hope of returning to the national team fold despite this latest snub, though.
"Being in the national team is every footballer's objective," he said. "A national team coach makes his decisions, but he must also know down to the finest detail all of the material he has at his disposal.
"Giovinco, Criscito, Bocchetti and [Giulio] Donati deserve to be followed with the utmost attention."