In an interview with TuttoMercatoWeb, Mario Giuffredi, the agent of Inter star Cristiano Biraghi, has confirmed that the details on his shin pads have nothing to do with fascism, as has been suggested by many in the media.

“I want to say this first: Biraghi has played football since he was a child and he has been a professional for several years now,” he said.

“Nothing bad has ever been said about him. It hurts that the mere imagination of some journalists can feed totally wrong impressions about the person and man that is Cristiano Biraghi.

“It’s fantasy, which led some journalists to think that the symbols on his shin pads, which he wears, are linked to fascism.

“I’ll briefly explain the meaning of the symbols on his shin pads: there’s an inscription ‘Vae Victis’. It relates to the film ‘300’ and is a reference to the Spartans, in the Battle of Thermopylae. Therefore, it refers to an era in history.

“I’ve also read some make a reference to the inscription ‘Sara Victoria’. It’s nothing but the names of his wife and daughter. I hope this all ends now.”