Locatelli sparks Juventus vs. Inter debate after dinner with Italy colleagues
Locatelli sparks Juventus vs. Inter debate after dinner with Italy colleagues Manuel Locatelli has become the target of criticism from some Juventus supporters on social media after going for dinner with a number of Inter first-team stars while away in camp with the Italy national team. Some Juventus fans angered by Locatelli dinner with Inter and Italy teammates Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0 in their World Cup play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland on Thursday evening, and will now be tasked with an away match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday night as they look to secure a place at the final 2026 tournament.
The Azzurri players were given a night off on Friday, the day after the Northern Ireland victory, and a number of Gennaro Gattuso’s players were photographed having dinner together at the Ristorante Tullio near to Italy’s Coverciano training base in Florence. There were a core of Inter players in attendance: Pio Esposito, Federico Dimarco, Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni were photographed, along with Juventus captain Locatelli and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who has been strongly linked with a move to join the Nerazzurri from Tottenham Hotspur this summer. However, the fact that Locatelli decided to sit down and agree to be photographed with a number of Inter players, Juventus’s fiercest rivals, has angered a number of Bianconeri supporters on social media.
Tensions between the two clubs have been particularly intense over the last two months following the fiery Derby d’Italia between the two sides in February, when Alessandro Bastoni escaped punishment for diving, and instead passionately celebrated the incorrect decision to send off Juve’s Pierre Kalulu . One supporter on X wrote: “Today’s Juventus perfectly represented by its captain. After tough seasons, he was regaining his place in the hearts of the fans.
Then, you see him in a photo with ‘those’ guys who took you for a ride just one month ago. ” “What sort of a captain,” one supporter questioned . Another wrote : “And this is the captain of Juventus FC.
Get out of here you piece of human s***. ” TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 02: Manuel Locatelli (L) and Pierre Kalulu of Juventus acknowledge the fans after victory in the Coppa Italia match between Udinese Calcio and Juventus at Allianz Stadium on December 02, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) Another Juventus supporter labelled Locatelli’s association with the Inter players as a “crime of friendship.