England are planning a 'home' friendly against Italy in Switzerland in a move that is sure to trigger outrage among club managers.

The game has been earmarked for Berne’s 32,000-seat Stade de Suisse on August 15 - three days before the start of the Barclays Premier League season.

It will be England’s first game against Italy for more than a decade but cannot be held at Wembley because the date set by FIFA comes so soon after the Olympic Games, which end on August 12.

Friendly affair: England plan to play Italy in Switzerland in August

The men’s gold medal match is on August 11 and the FA are investigating the idea of a return to Switzerland, having played a successful friendly in Geneva against Argentina in 2005.

Euro 2012 ends on July 1 and England will be keen on a warm-up game before the World Cup qualifying campaign gets under way in September with a trip to Moldova and a home game against Ukraine.

But FIFA’s traditional August friendly date, which is under threat in the longer term, always provokes anger from club managers.

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