Inter defender Francesco Acerbi banned from the national team for calling his Napoli colleague Juan Jesus a "nigger" during the championship match which ended 1-1 last night between the league leaders and the reigning Italian champions.
During the match, Juan Jesus approached the referee La Penna and pointed to Acerbi: " It doesn't suit me, he told me 'you're a nigger' and that doesn't suit me ", he reported to the match director, who took no action . After the match, Juan Jesus himself toned down the story: «On the pitch he's telling us everything, he saw that he went too far and apologised. He's a good guy, he apologized and when the referee blows his whistle everything is fine. I hope it doesn't happen again, he's a smart boy ."
The fact is that Acerbi will not leave for the US tour with the national team. The defender, who arrived at the training camp in Rome, clarified to coach Luciano Spalletti and his teammates that he had no discriminatory intent, but it was still decided to exclude him "for the necessary serenity of the national team and the player himself" . Roma player Gianluca Mancini arrives in his place.
The note released by the FIGC reports that «the footballer Francesco Acerbi, who arrived this morning at the national team retreat in Rome, explained to coach Luciano Spalletti and his teammates, as required by Club Italia's internal policy, his version of the alleged racist expression reported by the footballer Juan Jesus during the Inter-Napoli match . From the account of the Nerazzurri defender, while waiting for what happened to be reconstructed in compliance with the autonomy of sports justice, it emerged that there was no defamatory, denigrating or racist intent on his part. However, it was agreed to exclude Acerbi from the list of players called up for the next two friendly matches scheduled in the United States , to guarantee the necessary serenity for the national team and for the player himself, who will return to his club today."
The clubs involved also intervened in the case. In a statement , Inter says that for the moment it will not fine him, but " takes note of the statement released by the FIGC and reserves the right to discuss with its member as soon as possible in order to shed light on the exact dynamics of what happened last night ».
Napoli instead published a tweet against racism on its official account. "From Naples to the world, shout it out loud: no to racism" , this is the text of the tweet which has a video with the Napoli players framed in the foreground saying phrases in their language against racism.
His agent Federico Pastorello intervenes in Acerbi's defense: «I believe what Francesco told me, that he is a boy of great morality. The two players have clarified between themselves, even if these are the things that need to be controlled nowadays and punished if the conditions for doing so are recognized. I repeat, from what Acerbi tells me it was an argument on the pitch but without using a racist expression or phrase: it was a game clash, then perhaps there was one word in place of another, but the word 'nigger' was not used, just to be clear ."
(Unioneonline/L)