Buffon's absence a further blow for Lippi

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING GROUP EIGHT:ITALY GOALKEEPER Gianluigi Buffon and winger Mauro Camoranesi have been ruled out of this month's World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Montenegro through injury.

Coach Marcello Lippi said yesterday Buffon would be replaced in the squad by Siena goalkeeper Gianluca Curci but that he would not call up anyone else.

"It is a period in which we have lots of injuries. It happens," said Lippi. Buffon's place in the starting line-up is likely to go to Palermo's Marco Amelia.

The world champions, already without a number of top players including Andrea Pirlo and Marco Materazzi, face Bulgaria in Sofia on Saturday before hosting Montenegro in Lecce next Wednesday.

Buffon will be out for around a month with a muscle tear in his right leg and will almost certainly miss Juventus's Champions League Group H match against Real Madrid on October 21st.

Juve team-mate Camoranesi also has a right-leg injury with team doctor Enrico Castellacci expecting him to be out for 15-20 days. Lippi, whose side were slightly fortunate to beat Cyprus and Georgia in their opening qualifiers in September, is also without Lyon defender Fabio Grosso and Juve pair Nicola Legrottaglie and Vincenzo Iaquinta through injury.

On Sunday he called up four uncapped players - Giuseppe Rossi, Simone Pepe, Christian Maggio and Fabiano Santacroce - but left out veteran Juve striker Alessandro Del Piero.

Napoli defender Santacroce, born in Brazil, is one of the few black players to be called up by Italy. Racism remains a problem in Italian sport and the wider society.

"We live in intolerant times. If the presence of Santacroce with the national team sends a message against racism, I am happy about that," added Lippi, who said he had not even thought about Santacroce's colour when picking his squad.

However, Lippi said Del Piero's international career is not over despite his omission from the squad for the next two games.

The 33-year-old Juventus striker was continually overlooked by previous Italian coach Roberto Donadoni during the latter's regime.

But he forced his way into the Euro 2008 squad after finishing top scorer in Serie A last season for the first time. However, his form has dipped for Juventus in recent weeks.

"I called him, we talked," World Cup-winning coach Lippi said. "I wanted to look at some new players, I explained this to him and he understood. I also told him to continue doing what he has always done."