Milan: Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi was at the centre of two storms after scoring twice against former club Sampdoria on Sunday, one over his goal celebration and the other involving a refused hand shake.
The Argentine opened the scoring in the 13th minute and infuriated his former team mates when he turned to the Sampdoria fans and put his hand to his ear as if encouraging them to jeer him.
"He shouldn't have celebrated in that way, especially in front of the fans who in the past have supported and helped him a lot," Sampdoria assistant coach Nenad Sakic told reporters after his team's 4-0 home defeat.
"He was disrespectful towards the club and the fans, so that gesture speaks for itself," added Sakic, standing in for Sinisa Mihajlovic who was serving the second of a two-game touchline ban.
Before kickoff, all eyes were focused on a separate controversy as Icardi came face to face with former team mate and fellow Argentine Maxi Lopez in the pre-match handshake.
Icardi is currently living with Lopez's ex-wife Wanda Nara, another Argentine, in a story which has attracted widespread publicity in Italy and back home in Argentina.
Lopez said in a television interview last week that he wanted to put the whole story behind him but was not comfortable about his two children appearing in photographs published by Icardi on Twitter.
In the event, television pictures clearly showed that Icardi offered his hand as he went passed Lopez and was ignored by the Sampdoria player. Inter coach Walter Mazzarri praised Icardi's performance, although he also did not like the celebration.
"After scoring, he should go back to the midfield without making that gesture," Mazzarri told reporters.
"He's done his job and, due to the atmosphere which has been created, he has shown great personality," Mazzarri added. "If he can continue like this and if he can succeed in overcoming some superfluous things, he could become a great player, a centre forward with the characteristics of a true centre forward.
"He should just think about playing football and put aside the personal things. The players are professionals and they should never forget that."
Lopez, meanwhile, missed a penalty with the score at 1-1 and Sakic admitted that the former River Plate, Barcelona, Real Mallorca and AC Milan forward was not designated to take it.
"Eder was down to take the penalty but Maxi asked to take it and Eder agreed. Even if Maxi had scored, it would have been the wrong course of action," he said.
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