Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 2:21 PM• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 14:22

Leonardo Bonucci is the next to suffer from Juventus in crisis. The defender is the target of criticism and is hit hard by the hard core in an online statement. The occasion is a moment after last weekend’s 1-0 loss away against the last team player Monza, when Bonucci took the lead to apologize to the fans who had traveled along.

Juventus are in a deep crisis and have been waiting for a victory for five games. The team of trainer Massimiliano Allegri has to settle for eighth place in the ranking after the embarrassing defeat against Monza. After the game in Northern Italy, Bonucci took his teammates to the away section to thank the hard core. The ultras openly expressed their frustration at the attempted apology against them in the stands of U-Power Stadium.

“Bonucci has never been and never will be a leader. Not at Treviso, nor Pisa, nor Bari, nor Milan and certainly not at Juventus,” the statement reads. “We are faced with scenes that we do not understand and find laughable and ridiculous, created by someone who sees himself as a leader but acts like a traitor. If there is a hierarchy, there is a reason for it. A good soldier makes not necessarily a good general.”

The blame game at Juventus has been going on for a while. Vice President Pavel Nedved would like to fire trainer Allegri, but is reportedly overpowered by President Andrea Agnelli. Protesting fans and players would be stunned by the situation. “Having professional players stare at the Curva like sacrificial lambs, while they are laughed at and insulted. It’s absurd. The only result could be a weak team that suffers from negativity and victimization.”

The hard core of Juventus would like to see a different trend emerge. “It’s the exact opposite of what it takes in this sport. You harm your teammates and team more than any incompetent coach or director. The role of the Ultras is to support the team for as long as you can. In terms of protests and apologies, there is time until the end of the season or internal intervention is required. If you as a player are responsible for this mess you should be ashamed but instead you try to use this situation out of ignorance or for personal gain .”