The Spurs boss was due to address the assembled media at 2pm BST at Hotspur Way ahead of his side’s third-round home meeting with League One outfit Portsmouth on Saturday lunchtime.
However, Tottenham have now confirmed that Conte will hand over press duties to assistant Cristian Stellini as he mourns the sad passing of a close friend and former team-mate at the age of 58 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
“Following the sad passing of Gianluca Vialli, today’s press conference will be taken by Cristian Stellini,” Spurs said in a statement.
Antonio Conte (end left) and Gianluca Vialli (end right) were team-mates at Juventus in the 90s (Getty Images)
Midfield general Conte and star striker Vialli were team-mates throughout the latter’s four-year spell at Juventus between 1992-96, winning a plethora of major silverware together including one Serie A title and the 1995-96 Champions League, with Vialli the captain of that famous side with Roberto Biaggio injured.
In Pictures | Gianluca Vialli
(Bongarts/Getty Images)
17th June 1996: New Chelsea signing Gianlucia Vialli tries on his new shirt on the terraces at Stamford Bridg (PA)
2nd November 1996: Gianluca Vialli takes to the air to control the ball before scoring Chelsea’’s second goal during the Manchester United v Chelsea Premier League match at Old Trafford in Manchester, (Getty Images)
11th July 2021: Gianluca Vialli, Delegation Chief of Italy celebrates with The Henri Delaunay Trophy following his team’s victory in the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium (Getty Images)
circa 1984: Sampdoria striker Gianluca Vialli (l) rides the challenge of Paolo Pochesci of Ascoli (r) during a match in Genoa, Italy (Getty Images)
5th March 1995: Gianlucsa Vialli during a match against Inter Milan at the San siro Stadium (Getty Images)
26th November 1995: Gianluca Vialli of Juventus vies with Faustino Asparilla of Parma (Getty Images)
4th August 1996: Gianluca Vialli with the Umbro trophy after today’s Umbro Cup final against Ajax at the City Ground, Nottingham (PA)
circa 1996: New Chelsea signing Gianluca Vialli (C) looks on with team mates during a training session after signing from Juventus in London (Getty Images)
28th February 1998: Chelsea’s Gianluca Vialli during a FA Carling Premiership match vs Liverpool (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
16th April 1998: Gianluca Vialli of Chelsea out-jumps a Vicenza defender during the match between Chelsea v Vicenza in the European Cup Winners’’ Cup Semi-final played at Stamford Bridge, London, England. Chelsea won the match 3-1 to go into the Final. (Getty Images)
They won a number of other trophies together during that period including the Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and Uefa Cup. Vialli had already made his 59th and final appearance for Italy under Arrigo Sacchi two years before Conte’s international debut in 1994.
Erling Haaland is reportedly ready to 'divorce' Man City as he has a 'very distant' relationship with Pep Guardiola, who has created a 'bad atmosphere'.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle invited cameras into their family home with children Archie and Lilibet for their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, and during the series, fans caught a glimpse of their jaw-dropping kitchen. While their son Archie was cooking with Meghan's niece Ashleigh, their cooking area was shown in all its glory. The duo were hard at work mixing on a wooden side and behind them a marble topped island was clear to see. WATCH: Meghan Markle waves off Prince Harry from entranc
Scotland handed England defeat in the first match of the Steve Borthwick era with many Telegraph Sport readers arguing that Ben Youngs cost the home side and that Scotland got away with a forward pass before one of their tries - but does our expert agree?
A Russian spin doctor-turned-mercenary has apparently been targeted in a possible execution attempt in eastern Ukraine in what analysts have suggested could be a warning to the increasingly influential boss of the Wagner Group.
The former cabinet minister recalls how the former PM’s security howled with laughter when she doubled down on her ‘Don’t trust him to drive you home’ jibe
A 12-year-old musician who wowed guitar legend Johnny Marr pulls in as much as £200 in an hour busking thanks to his ‘charming’ covers of songs by The Smiths. John Denton's performances in the streets of Manchester stopped shoppers in their tracks, while videos of his finger-picking skills went viral on social media. And the lad's talents were recently recognised by guitarist and songwriter star Marr after he was selected for a £1,000 grant created in his name. But his dad Phil, 42, has now revealed the prodigy's abilities have already helped him rake in hundreds of pounds in cash per hour while playing to shoppers. The former head teacher added that despite this impressive financial pay-off, the youngster, who's played at festivals to thousands of fans, wasn’t interested in money. He said: “People are really generous, and they’ll drop the odd coin in, sometimes a pound or two - and then the odd person will put a £20 note in. “He got £200 one Christmas. That was after about an hour. But he’s not interested in the money at all. “When we get homes, he doesn’t count it. He doesn’t even ask how much it was, he just walks off. “We put it in a savings account for him, and he bought his electric guitar with it. And the other bits he’s saved up, he’s put towards recording new songs.” Schoolboy John said about meeting The Smith’s legend recently: “Johnny Marr is my absolute hero on guitar. "It’s been amazing to meet him and then get messages from him online. I want to make Johnny Marr proud and make the most of this opportunity.” Phil said John, who was this year’s recipient of the Salford Foundation Trust’s Johnny Marr Award, had got his first gig when he was just nine years old. And since then, he's played to thousands of people on major festival stages, along with busking regularly in his hometown of Manchester. He said: “When he picked the guitar up, he never put it down, to the point where we were all going to bed and I would hear him rustling about. “We would shout to him saying, “John, put your guitar down!” "He wanted to do gigs straight away, wanted to do them for the family. He started to write to people and sent hundreds of letters. “He got loads of knockbacks. Eventually, he asked someplace near us, “Can I play my guitar”, and they said “Yep”. And he got together 70 to 80 people to watch him. "He was about nine at that point. “He’s since played Middleton Arena to a crowd of 200 people, and Kendal Calling festival, where he played in front of 1000.” John was also nominated for the young songwriter of the year award, which earned him a trip down to Notting Hill to play at the live final. And following his most recent award success, Johnny Marr sent the lad his heartfelt congratulations. He told him: “It’s a pleasure and privilege to give some assistance to a young musician especially when they’re as dedicated as John. Well done, brother." Peter Collins CBE, from The Salford Foundation Trust, added: “There couldn’t be a more worthy recipient of the Johnny Marr Award. “Even though John is only 12 he’s already proven he’s committed to making a future in music and we’re delighted the Trust can give him a helping hand on this journey.”
Sputnik/Evgeniy Paulin/KremlinRussia’s military is preparing for heavy losses ahead in a new offensive, according to a source apparently stationed at a Russian military headquarters in Ukraine, Novaya Gazeta reported.Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to send tens of thousands of men to war in Ukraine knowing very well that he is going to make them into “minced meat,” the source said.The source accused the Russian military of not taking any dangers of the offensive into account and pr
The HMS Prince of Wales has been delayed further after engineers discovered “elementary” mistakes in the warship’s shaft alignment, The Telegraph can reveal in a further embarrassment to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Yahoo Sport 
