The Italian FA has opened up an investigation into incidents involving Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi and defender Francesco Acerbi during Saturday’s Serie A match against Roma.
This according to Italian news outlet Gazzetta.it.
Inter won 4-2 in their Serie A match away to Roma over this past weekend.
But there were also a couple of incidents which caused controversy.
One involved Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi.
The 47-year-old was not on the bench for Saturday’s match. The reason was a suspension that he had received for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Given that Inzaghi had received this one-match touchline ban during the prior weekend’s Serie A match against Juventus, he served it at the Olimpico.
Part of the terms of this suspension was that Inzaghi was not meant to communicate directly with his squad.
The Inter coach was permitted to communicate with his coaching staff. And then they could pass any information onto the players.
However, there are hints that Inzaghi did actually speak with his players during a phone call at halftime of the match.
This included a remark by defender Alessandro Bastoni whilst speaking to broadcaster DAZN.
Inzaghi’s defense is that he did not actually talk directly with the players. Rather, he passed his message along via assistant coach Massimiliano Farris.
And that is what the Italian FA investigators are looking to determine. To this end, an Italian FA prosecutor spoke with Bastoni today.
Not Just Inzaghi – Acerbi Also Being Investigated For Incident Vs Roma
Then there was the matter of Inter defender Acerbi.
The 35-year-old had made an evident obscene gesture in the direction of Roma fans. This was during the aftermath of his opening goal.
Acerbi had raised his middle finger towards Giallorossi supporters who were in the stands at the Olimpico behind where he had scored his goal.
However, there were also some mitigating circumstances.
Namely, some of the Roma fans had been aiming offensive chants at Acerbi.
There were chants imploring the Italian international, formerly of Roma’s arch-rivals Lazio, to “die.”
Therefore, that could also come into consideration when deciding upon what punishment if any Acerbi should receive.
According to the Gazzetta, Bastoni also answered a few questions about that situation.
The Gazzetta anticipate that it is unlikely that Inzaghi will receive any punishment for the alleged halftime phone call. This is because it would be difficult to prove conclusively that the incident occurred.
On the other hand, there could very well be some form of sanction for Acerbi.
However, a suspension for the 35-year-old would not be at all likely.
