Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni received an unfriendly welcome at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia as his side drew 0-0 with Como in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final.
Such has been the continued response in Italy to the former Atalanta and Parma defender, the 26-year-old was booed with every touch of the ball.
Bastoni has come under heavy scrutiny after February’s theatrical dive against Juventus convinced referee Federico La Penna into sending off Pierre Kalulu. He even received death threats on social media before turning off comments on his Instagram profile.
Como boss Cesc Fabregas addressed the situation in his post-match press conference and effectively called for calm.
“Boos at Bastoni? It’s because he plays for the best team in Italy,” the Spanish coach explained. “I consider him a top player; I’ve studied Inter a lot because of him.“
“We have to protect him. He’ll become Italy’s captain. He made a mistake, but these things happen. I also made a mistake at San Siro when I held back Saelemaekers. He’ll get over it, these are fan-related things.”
Despite Fabregas’ comments, one thing is for certain. The centre-back’s tumultuous time will likely continue on Sunday at San Siro, as Milan and Inter face off in the Derby della Madonnina.
