In the space of a few weeks, Alessandro Bastoni has gone from being an untouchable mainstay of the Nazionale to a symbol of yet another Italian failure. Already heavily criticised following his dive against Juventus, the Inter centre-back has made matters worse with his sending-off in Bosnia.
The criticism may be excessive, but it is very real. Alessandro Bastoni (26) is obviously not solely to blame for Italian football’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, but his recent weeks have felt like a descent into hell.
The descent into the abyss
It all really went downhill with that 3-2 Inter-Juventus win, when he provoked the unfair sending-off of Pierre Kalulu with a blatant dive. The problem was not just the exaggerated foul, but also the manner in which it was committed. Bastoni celebrated as if he’d scored a goal, before having to apologise publicly a few days later. Too late to calm the anger. Gianluca Rocchi, head of Italian referees, himself acknowledged the referee’s mistake and condemned the Nerazzurri player’s simulation, whilst Giorgio Chiellini, Damien Comolli and sections of the press were outraged. Since then, he has been booed almost everywhere in Serie A.
The atmosphere took a turn for the worse at the worst possible moment. Already physically weakened following his collision with Adrien Rabiot in the derby, Bastoni arrived at the international camp lacking match fitness, with his confidence shaken and his reputation already tarnished. Then came that incident in Bosnia, in the 41st minute. Italy were leading 1-0, were largely in control, and the situation was by no means hopeless. Yet the Lombard threw himself into a reckless tackle as the last man, handing the Bosnians a deserved red card and leaving the Nazionale down to ten men for over an hour. From that point on, everything changed, culminating in elimination on penalties.
The perfect scapegoat, but also a real turning point
Since that fiasco, the defender has been subjected to a veritable public lynching, with some media outlets going so far as to portray him as ‘the most hated man in the country’. On social media, the situation has descended into a savage outpouring of abuse, forcing the player and his wife to restrict comments in the face of thousands of daily insults. Whilst a few minority voices have attempted to calm the situation by pointing out that an individual error should not obscure the structural failure of the federation, the public verdict is final. The Italian public cannot forgive him for hastening the team’s downfall, having already tarnished his image through his behaviour at club level.
On the pitch, his talent as a left-footed playmaker remains a rare asset, but his future in Italy now looks more precarious than ever. In an environment that has become toxic, amid constant booing and suffocating media pressure, a move abroad now seems like an essential way out. FC Barcelona and several Premier League heavyweights are keeping a close eye on the situation, aware that Inter may be forced to sell their player to protect him. Bastoni hasn’t lost his intrinsic qualities in a month, but he is now playing for much more than just the end of the season: he is playing for the rest of his international career.
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