In Serie A Round 25, Inter Milan beat Juventus 3-2 at home. Antonio Cassano commented on the match and the controversial red card decision on his podcast.
In the 42nd minute, Pierre Kalulu pulled down Alessandro Bastoni and was sent off with a second yellow card, a decision that sparked debate. Cassano said: “Bastoni was definitely in the wrong, he dived. With a different referee, he could have picked up a second yellow card himself. He made a mistake, but I’ve done similar things too. In a Roma vs Brescia match with referee Trombelli, I dived to win a penalty at 2-2, but who cares? Montella missed it though, that was the only dive of my career.”
Cassano went on: “Even Pavel Nedved dived – he went down against me in a Juventus vs Roma game, yet the media didn’t mock him. Milos Krasic dived too and no one said a thing. My friend Gianluigi Buffon even admitted he would never have said if Sulley Muntari’s shot had crossed the line, which cost me a Serie A title.”
He added: “People attacking Bastoni should be ashamed for inciting online abuse. It’s ridiculous that Juventus are lecturing Inter and others morally. Juventus have benefited from far more decisions. Miralem Pjanic should have been sent off years ago, and I lost a title due to Muntari’s disallowed goal, not to mention Mark Iuliano’s foul on Ronaldo.”
Cassano also said: “The abuse targeting Bastoni, his family and referee Federico La Penna is incited by four so-called pundits on Italian TV. Bastoni made a mistake, but don’t exaggerate it or stupid acts. I urge Inter fans to cheer and hug Bastoni at San Siro.”
“The most absurd thing is Juventus’ moral grandstanding. Rocchi and La Penna made mistakes, but remember all the decisions that favoured Juventus. I like Giorgio Chiellini, but he goes down without contact.”
Finally, Cassano stated: “Don’t be harsh on Bastoni or paint him as a monster. Juventus must reflect on their own actions before judging others. I will support Bastoni from tonight on. Those saying he shouldn’t be in Italy’s squad are shameful.”
