more importantly
Several Inter players were physically attacked last night, with Cristiano Zanetti sustaining bruising, as tension spilled out into an ambush.
The tension spilled out last night in the car park of Milan's Malpensa airport, as a group of Inter players was accosted by masked fans. Cristiano Zanetti came off worst, as he was struck on the back of the head and sustained bruising in the altercation.
"We cannot accept this kind of behaviour, as violence is beyond the pale," said President Giacinto Facchetti. "Anyone who calls themselves an Inter fan cannot condone this attack."
As a gesture of solidarity to their 'cousins', Milan asked to start their match with Chievo 10 minutes late in protest at the attack.
The San Siro giants are still dealing with the fall-out from their Champions League exit to Villarreal.
“Inter always manage to cause a stir in the media and I think it has been like that for a long time, going all the way back to when I was playing,” said the former defender.
The Nerazzurri were at the centre of a scandal this week when newspapers reported there was a locker-room fight between Adriano and Juan Sebastian Veron in Spain.
It was claimed the two came to blows both at the half-time break and after the final whistle of their Champions League exit to Villarreal. It’s a story that Coach Mancini has confirmed was leaked by someone within the squad.
“This club probably lets more stories out than most others, as I imagine many sides would’ve kept something like this to themselves,” added Facchetti. “With us, it seems as if they get published even when they are not 100 per cent true, like the claims about that fight.”
The President insisted that although there was a heated argument, it was not the wrestling match that some newspapers have painted it to be.
“I am not criticising the journalists, but certain things happen in every locker room. A player will tell off his teammate for missing a chance or not working within a tactical system. I do realise that these incidents leak out from Inter a lot more than they do elsewhere, at times even distorted to seem worse than they really are.”
The President tried to calm the suggestions that there is an Argentine clan within the Nerazzurri squad that has ganged up on Brazilian Adriano, contributing to his poor form.
“I read those reports the day after and asked Mancini what had happened. He said the allegations were untrue. Yes, the two players had an animated discussion, as is only to be expected when the team is losing, but nothing more than that. I’d rather believe what Mancini told me and not what I read in the newspapers.”
Channel4.
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