The Inter and Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni is under investigation over alleged underage prostitution as part of an inquiry into an events company that organised \u201call-inclusive\u201d nights for VIP clients at clubs, Italian prosecutors said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
According to investigators, Bastoni allegedly had sex with a 17-year-old girl who had been recruited by a company organising luxury events and dinners for VIPs in Milan. Prosecutors allege the owners of the agency, who are also under investigation, made private apartments available to clients<\/a>, where they could have sex with underage girls.<\/p>\n In wiretaps dating back to 2020 and published by Italian media, Bastoni had clearly \u201cexpressed his intention to have sexual intercourse immediately after dinner at the apartment in Cinisello Balsamo\u201d, the case file reportedly reads.<\/p>\n In one intercepted conversation<\/a>, one of the agency\u2019s PR representatives reportedly wrote to Bastoni: \u201cI think the underage girl wants to sleep with you. I think she wants to have some fun.\u201d Bastoni allegedly replied: \u201cAre there any places where we can hide there?\u201d The PR representative allegedly responded: \u201cWe\u2019ll figure something out. At worst, you can take her home.\u201d<\/p>\n According to prosecutors, the agency induced the girl into prostitution on the evening of 11 July 2020. The girl, who was questioned in recent days as a witness, said she had been to the footballer\u2019s home but denied having had sexual intercourse with him.<\/p>\n Bastoni\u2019s lawyer, Salvatore Scuto, said<\/a>: \u201cI can rule out that my client ever paid for sex, let alone had sexual relations with minors.\u201d<\/p>\n Under Italian law, sexual acts with minors aged between 14 and 18 in exchange for money or any other benefit, even if only promised, are punishable by between one and six years in prison.<\/p>\n Bastoni has faced intense criticism from Italy supporters following the national team\u2019s failure to qualify for the World Cup finals tournament after his early red card<\/a> in the defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina in April, which ended Italy\u2019s qualification hopes.<\/p>\n Two months earlier, Bastoni had also found himself at the centre of controversy<\/a> during Inter\u2019s game against Juventus after he was widely accused of diving, leading to the wrongful dismissal of the Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu. Bastoni had already been booked and could have been handed a second yellow card, either for simulation or for attempting to influence the referee\u2019s decision. Instead, he celebrated as Kalulu was sent off<\/a>. The Juve player appealed in vain for a VAR review, but second yellow cards cannot be reviewed under the current regulations.<\/p>\n