Inter Milan star 'rejects' international call-up less than 24 hours after Champions League final defeat
An Inter Milan star has 'rejected' an international call-up just hours after their crushing Champions League final defeat.
Inter suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, who secured their first Champions League title on Saturday.
Achraf Hakimi, Desire Doue (x2), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu all got on the score-sheet in Munich's Allianz Arena.
It's more heartbreak for Inter, who failed to win the Serie A title on the final day of the Scudetto campaign.
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They narrowly lost out on winning the league after finishing one point behind Antonio Conte's Napoli.
Many of the players involved in the final between PSG and Inter will now link up with their nations ahead of international fixtures next week, with Nations League fixtures and World Cup qualifiers scheduled.
Italy, who had several representatives in the Champions League final, face Norway and Moldova in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers.
But Italy manager Luciano Spalletti will be without Francesco Acerbi, who has decided against joining up with the national team.
Acerbi, who played the entire game on Saturday, did not respond to Spalletti's call-up.
"Acerbi did not respond to the call-up," the veteran boss said during his pre-match press conference on Sunday.
“Let’s move on. It’s not a physical issue, he’s thought about what’s happened around him.
“Previously he had some doubts. It’s true that we have to hold our breath at the end of the season, it was not easy to make these call-ups."
Acerbi had been included in Spalletti's squad that also featured Inter teammate Alessandro Bastoni.
But he has made himself unavailable after a gruelling season with his club, having played 33 games across all competitions.
The 37-year-old defender made his international debut in 2014 and has since earned 34 caps, scoring one goal.
It remains to be seen whether he has called time on his Italy career or just taking a break from football.
Topics: Inter Miami, Paris Saint-Germain, Italy, Football, Champions League
Nasir Jabbar