Inter CEO Beppe Marotta spoke to Sky Sport Italia seconds before kick-off against Sampdoria at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milano’s San Siro district, where he revealed that the decision to strip Icardi of the captaincy was a joint one which Spalletti was involved in.
“Spalletti was heavily involved in the decision and it had more to do with the behavior on a daily basis rather than any one-off incidents. It’s a growth process and we decided to make this change to help everyone progress together as a group. Sometimes the head of the house has to take an unpopular decision for the good of the family.”
“It was said you don’t air your dirty laundry in public, but that’s impossible nowadays with social media and constant coverage, so we had to take the route of openness. The armband is not just symbolic, the person who wears it must be considered a leader. We want to all grow together and eliminate certain toxicity that has perhaps crept in during the recent months. This is a different situation, it has to do with group dynamics, dealing with the club and dealing with the fans outside of the locker room.”
Marotta then expressed his full support to Wanda Nara for the incidents of violence she and her family had been subjected to yesterday.
“I exchanged some messages with her and showed our utmost solidarity, because let’s not forget also there are five children involved here, it was absolutely unacceptable. She was very nice and appreciative of our affection, as she always has been. We’ve never had a problem dealing with her.”
Marotta then underlined that Icardi is truly injured and that the ongoing contract negotiation with Icardi had nothing to do with the decision to remove him as the team’s captain.
“When a player feels pain, it is our duty to believe them. We’ll see if his condition improves going forward. It’s a long campaign, we want to continue in the Europa League too, and we trust this discussion will be resolved.”
“I read many things, but the contract has nothing to do with it. The negotiations will continue in the predicted time-frame and we will make our proposal at the right time, of course. I told Wanda, as the player’s representative, that we’ll send a proposal over the next few weeks. There are some issues to be dealt with first and we must evaluate some figures. The contract has nothing to do with it.”
