Mauro Icardi to rewrite book after row with Inter Milan Ultras
Fans turn on striker after he claims in memoir he would bring '100 criminals from Argentina' to kill them
Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi is to rewrite sections of his autobiography in the wake of the fury of fans of the Italian club, who have turned on the Argentine striker over comments he made about them in the book.
In the memoir, Icardi recalled a confrontation with Inter's fanatical 'Ultras' after a defeat to Sassuolo last year. He claimed that he was hailed as an "idol" in the dressing room for standing up to the supporters in the wake of the defeat and said he was not intimidated by the hardcore fans as he could "bring 100 criminals from Argentina who will kill them".
His words provoked a furious response from Inter fans who have displayed banners at the San Siro branding him a "clown" and a "piece of s***", and even cheered when he missed a penalty against Cagliari. They are demanding that he is stripped of the captaincy and sold in the next transfer window.
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Some angry fans reportedly even set up camp outside his house demanding to know when his 100 "friends" would be arriving. They only left when confronted by an armed security guard, says the Daily Mail.
Icardi has subsequently issued an apology of sorts. "If I had the slightest brain in my skull, I certainly wouldn't have risked offending the Curva. I didn't want to offend or disrespect anyone," he said.
Now Paolo Fontanesi, who co-wrote the book, entitled Sempre Avanti [Always Forward], says it will be revised and republished, according to the website Football Italia.
"Mauro will take advantage in this reprint in order to say new things; it will not just be a case of removing a page, there will be some modified parts and the player will take the opportunity to put forward what happened.
"He will explain that it is something that happened in the past and he rightly takes responsibility for what he said. I have told him to say how the situation has changed now, how it is different," said Fontanesi. "I hope he makes peace with the Curva."
Since the row blew up, Inter have rejected calls to strip Icardi of the captaincy and have insisted he will not be sold. Inter beat Southampton 1-0 at the San Siro on Thursday night and although Icardi did not score he played the entire 90 minutes for the Italian side.
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