Italy international Pessotto played for Juventus for 11 years

Juventus sporting director Pessotto is seriously ill in hospital after falling from a window at club headquarters.

Del Piero and Zambrotta were joined on a private flight by ex-Juve player Ciro Ferrara, one of Italy's coaching staff.

Pessotto, 35, a former Juventus midfielder, is not implicated in the Italian match-fixing scandal.

Del Piero, Zambrotta and Ferrara spent more than an hour at his hospital bedside before later returning to Italy's World Cup camp.

Italy captain and Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro walked out of a media conference at the training camp when he heard about Pessotto's fall.

"I'm devastated. Pessotto was the nicest guy in the world," said Cannavaro.

Pessotto was appointed Juve's sports director in May after 11 years as a player, during which he won 22 caps for Italy.

Juventus, along with AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina, are due to face a sports tribunal over the match-fixing scandal.

Police investigate the fall at the Juventus club offices in Turin

Pessotto's wife Reana said he was unhappy with his role at the club and had been suffering from depression.

"He kept telling me that there was too much difference between being on the field and behind a desk," she said.

Pessotto was taken to a Turin hospital on Tuesday with multiple fractures after falling an estimated 15 metres from a second-storey window. He was reported to have been clutching a set of rosary beads.

A Turin hospital official speaking on Sky Italia television said police were investigating a suicide attempt.

A Juventus spokesman said: "Gianluca suffered multiple fractures, but his life is not in danger."

Italy play Ukraine in the quarter-finals on Friday.