What is Inter’s Francesco Acerbi’s at risk of if found guilty of racism against Napoli’s Juan Jesus?

An unfortunate event overshadowed the 1-1 Serie A draw between Inter and Napoli as Francesco Acerbi reportedly used a racial slur against Juan Jesus. 

A report from La Gazzetta dello Sport throws light on the situation as an investigation is awaited to determine the exact words used by Inter’s Francesco Acerbi following an altercation with Napoli’s Juan Jesus near the quarter-hour of the second half. 

In his post-match press conference, the Brazilian defender remarked that Acerbi indeed used some derogatory words but refused to elaborate further as he had accepted the Italian’s apology on the pitch. He said: “Acerbi, who is a good guy, said some not nice things. He went a little further, but he apologized because he realized he had exaggerated. These are field matters and they remain there.”

Juan Jesus complained to the referee Federico La Penna after the exchange as an initial find from his lip-reading suggests him saying: “He called me n**ger. That’s not good”. However, the match official did not take immediate action on the field and continued with the game. Acerbi did not admit the racist insult in front of La Penna and the referee did not hear his exact words, otherwise, the defender would have been expelled from the pitch.

The federal prosecutor can lodge an investigation into the matter and listen to the two players involved. There will be court proceedings where the judge will be taking into consideration the match official’s report. If the insult is confirmed, Francesco Acerbi will face a heavy suspension from competitive football, which can extend to about ten games.

This event happened on a day when Serie A was dedicated to the fight against racism. Racism in all forms is unacceptable and these are the evils that threaten football’s integrity.

Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN