This archive report was first published on 14 December 2019.
On December 14, 2019, Inter Milan made headlines when they cancelled coach Antonio Conte's press conference ahead of their league game against Fiorentina. The reason behind this decision was a scathing letter published in a leading Italian sports daily, Corriere dello Sport.
The letter, written by a Bologna fan, was a vicious attack on Conte, claiming that he had never shown a good game in his career despite his victories. The fan also took a swipe at Inter Milan's spending, stating that despite investing over 150 million euros, the team had failed to beat Slavia Prague and lost to Borussia Dortmund.
The editor of the letters' page, Italo Cucci, added fuel to the fire by commenting that Inter Milan had 'thrown away the Champions League and maybe the rest too' by loaning Mauro Icardi to Paris Saint-Germain. His comment was accompanied by a slogan: 'No Icardi, No Party.'
Corriere dello Sport had already faced criticism earlier in the month for their controversial 'Black Friday' headline ahead of the first Serie A meeting between Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku and former Manchester United teammate Chris Smalling.
Inter Milan are currently two points ahead of Juventus at the top of the Serie A table, but their decision to cancel Conte's press conference has sparked debate about the team's handling of the situation.
