Inter must find an urgent solution to end a row between captain Mauro Icardi and the club’s ultras, who are angry at the striker over comments he made in his autobiography, coach Frank de Boer said on Sunday
Leading scorer Icardi, who earlier this month extended his Inter contract to 2021, was greeted by several insulting banners on Sunday, with fans calling him a “clown” as he took to the pitch for their Serie A game at home to Cagliari.
He then missed a first-half penalty as Inter lost 2-1.
Photo: EPA
“On another day Icardi would have scored from the spot. I don’t want to discuss the rest of it,” the Dutch coach told reporters. “We will assess things tomorrow out of respect for the fans and the player. We must find a solution, because the situation is far from ideal.”
Italian media said about 40 Inter fans had attacked Icardi’s vehicle after the game and a banner had been hung outside his apartment.
The Argentine had painted the ultras in a bad light with comments in his autobiography. They in turn said he was lying regarding an incident last year and demanded he hand back the captain’s armband as he did not deserve to lead the team.
After a 3-1 away defeat by US Sassuolo in February last year, several Inter players tossed their shirts into the crowd, only to see them thrown back by fans unhappy at their performance.
Icardi did the same, saying he gave his shirt to a young child in the crowd who was immediately told by one of the ultras to hand it back to the player.
The striker then verbally attacked the ultra, saying he was being arrogant in front of children and using them to show how tough he was.
Icardi added that his teammates then hailed him “a hero” for standing up to the hardcore fans.
Icardi had tried to defuse the situation before Sunday’s game with a post on social media expressing his support for the club and fans, but Inter vice president Javier Zanetti said the player’s initial comments in his book had been unacceptable.
“We cannot accept this kind of behavior from an employee. Will we be taking action? Unfortunately, yes,” Zanetti said. “The fans are the most important element, they accompany us and we all should respect them.”
The 23-year-old Icardi, who has scored six goals in eight league appearances this season, joined Inter in 2013 from rivals UC Sampdoria and became captain two years later at the age of 22.
Inter are 11th in Serie A on 11 points.
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