Inter Milan’s Bastoni admits exaggerating contact with Juventus’ Kalulu

Alessandro Bastoni is taking accountability for his role in a controversial penalty called during Saturday’s Derby D’Italia between Inter Milan and Juventus.

The Inter Milan defender appeared to go down too easily on contact with Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu, which then led to a yellow card being shown by the official. Since it was Kalulu’s second yellow card of the match, he was shown a red card and sent off.

Bastoni would be shown celebrating the referee’s decision and his actions led to widespread criticism.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Bastoni admitted that he made a mistake and regretted his reaction to drawing the penalty call.

“I’m here because it’s only right to show up and take responsibility. I felt the contact with Kalulu, and I exaggerated it to gain an advantage,” Bastoni admitted in the press conference. “What I regret most is the reaction I had afterward, in the heat of the moment. I’m sorry I acted that way.”

Inter would go on to win the match 3-2 and add to their advantage atop the Serie A standings. The result was more significant for Juventus who dropped out of the top four and sit outside of a UEFA Champions League qualifying position.

Many have called for Bastoni not to be included in the Italian national team roster for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying matches because of his unsportsmanlike behaviour.

The defender believes the criticism has been unfair with his family receiving harsh messages on social media.

“I also believe it’s only fair not to define my career and who I am based on one incident, because I’ve played 300 matches and this is the first time people are talking about me for something like this,” he said. “I see a lot of fake moralism, and I see people in the industry saying things that are completely unfounded. Instead, I thank those who told the truth, that I was foolish and that I made a mistake.”