Inter ultras' scathing banner targets Icardi: 'Vile piece of s---'

Inter Milan ultras in the Curva Nord unleashed a ferocious attack on Mauro Icardi ahead of Sunday's match with Cagliari, calling him a "piece of shit" and demanding he be stripped of his captaincy after publishing what they consider to be treacherous lies in his autobiography.

The issue stems from an incident after a loss to Sassuolo in February 2015, where Icardi had his shirt thrown back at him by a group of angry supporters. Upset with the act of disrespect, Icardi branded the fans "pieces of shit", though he later apologised for his conduct.

In his recently released autobiography "Sempre avanti" (Always ahead), Icardi discusses the confrontation, claiming the shirt was wrestled out of the hands of a young child before being launched back in his direction.

He goes on to write that his teammates viewed him as a "hero" for standing up to the unruly ultras.

Now, the supporters are firing back. After releasing a statement condemning his version of the incident, they unveiled a banner at the San Siro on Sunday, lambasting the 23-year-old Argentine:

Icardi, who recently signed a contract extension until 2021 with the Nerazzurri, went into Sunday's clash with six goals in seven matches, solidifying his status as one of Europe's best young strikers.

He released a statement on Instagram prior to the match to respond to the criticism from the supporters:

"Dear Curva Nord, I am surprised and disappointed," he wrote.

"I am surprised because I simply referred to the fact I lost my temper in the heat of the moment, combined with the adrenaline of the match and the bad moment the team was going through.

"I simply wanted to sum up the atmosphere of that incident. It’s true that in the book I spat out some exaggerated phrases (and the verb spat gives a good idea of how inopportune my reaction was)."

He added: "I am disappointed. Disappointed with the chaos that has been brought up. I simply gave my recollection of an incident. If I had the slightest brain in my skull, I certainly wouldn’t have risked offending the curva. I didn’t want to offend or disrespect anyone.

"The captain’s armband represents the realisation of my childhood dreams, the joy that I gave first of all to my family and then to myself.

"You are the ones who I look out for every Sunday after scoring a goal, it is your embrace I seek first, because I love Inter."