Spalletti: It will be harsh to ban Bastoni from the national team

Luciano Spalletti has said a call for a national team ban for Alessandro Bastoni will be harsh if Gennaro Gattuso makes such a decision.

The former Italy coach stated this during a press conference for the UEFA Champions League playoff against Galatasaray.

Bastoni had Pierre Kalulu sent off in their Serie A derby last week over a foul that many had adjudged to be a simulation.

Spalletti, who also criticised Inter head coach Cristian Chivu over his comments on Kalulu following the eventful Derby d’Italia in Serie A over the weekend, said it was a light touch from the Juventus defender, which should not have warranted a second yellow card.

Inter won the clash that was not without its controversies, notably,  Kalulu being wrongly sent off for a second bookable offence in the 42nd minute. 

According to newspaper reports in Italy,  the first booking was described as harsh, and claimed that the second was ‘absurd’ and ‘non-existent’. 

In a situation where Bastoni was adjudged to have dived to get Kalulu sent off, it was a second yellow card incident and not a straight red card, and VAR was not able to intervene. 

Since Bastoni, who was already on a yellow card, was not sent off in the match, he is unlikely to face retrospective punishment.

He would have been sent off had referee Federico La Penna shown him a second yellow card for simulation. 

Had VAR intervened, there might have been a change in the decision that would have gone against Inter, and Bastoni would have gone for an early shower. 

Reacting to the referee’s decision, Spalletti and  Juventus CEO Damien Comolli were seen angrily confronting the referee in the tunnel after full-time. 

As Spalletti decided not to be present for the post-match conference, the Bianconeri sent Comolli and director Giorgio Chiellini to talk to the press after full-time over the weekend.

 However, on Monday, ahead of the Champions League clash against the Turkish giant, Spalletti shared his opinions on the matter, as he was not pleased about Chivu’s decision to criticise Kalulu during his post-match interview. 

Chivu had said the contact with Bastoni was light but still a touch. He added that he had dealt with similar situations in the Champions League, telling his lads not to put themselves in a situation that would force the referee to make the call.

“Even if it’s light, and we have to admit it is a light touch, my player still felt the touch and was running at full speed. Kalulu is an experienced player, and he ought to know that in these situations, you keep your hands to yourself.”

Reacting to the comment of his counterpart, Spalletti described Kalulu as a good lad who is also decent. 

“The fact that he had to take a dig from an opposition coach is something I never expected. This would put me in a position to talk about Inter’s players, and I don’t want to do that,” he pointed out.

Spalletti further noted that simulation is an offence to football, saying he has raised his team to a level where simulation does not allow others to determine games for them.

Speaking of the clash against Galatasaray, Spalletti called for improvement in their game, expecting a game that would test their maturity.

Spalletti defended the Inter defender, arguing that it would not be the right decision to drop him from the Italy squad. 

He expects Gattuso to be free to call up whoever he wants, as he is expected to make the sole decision on that.