Acerbi acquitted of racism charge against Juan Jesus

The discriminatory content of the sentences addressed by Unripe a John Jesus “without the good faith of the Napoli player being called into question”, it appears to have been “perceived by Juan Jesus alone, therefore without the support of any external evidentiary evidence, be it audio, video or even testimonial”. For this reason, the sports judge decided to absolve the Inter defender Francesco Acerbi from the accusation of racist behavior, not applying thearticle 28 of the sports justice code, which would have resulted in disqualification for at least 10 days. For there to be punishment, in fact, “a minimum amount of evidence is needed, or at least serious, precise and concordant evidence in order to reach a reasonable certainty in this regard”, writes the judge. And in this case “the minimum level of reasonable certainty regarding the certainly discriminatory content of the offense committed” would not have been reached. No proof, no pain, therefore.

Acerbi and Juan Jesus, the offending episode

During the second half of the match between Inter and Napoli on March 17, Juan Jesus, Napoli’s Brazilian defender, approached referee La Penna and complained: “Acerbi called me nigger, and that doesn’t suit me.” After the match, the Italian footballer put the incident into perspective by appearing in front of the cameras Dazn and saying: “We clarified things with Acerbi, he apologized to me, he’s an intelligent boy, these are field issues.” But the newfound harmony lasted just a day.

Acerbi and the departure from the blue retreat

The day after the San Siro match, Acerbi took part with his teammates in the training camp National in Rome, in preparation for the friendly tour in the United States. The coach Luciano Spalletti, the federation and the player himself decided that “for everyone’s peace of mind” it was right that the Inter defender did not take part in the expedition. Back in Milan, reached at the Central Station by some reporters, Acerbi claimed that he had “never uttered the word nigger, nor had he addressed racist insults to Juan Jesus”.

Acerbi’s version

After Acerbi’s statements to journalists at the station, the Napoli defender became furious, writing a long post on Instagram to denounce the inconsistency of the Inter player, who first apologized and then instead denied having offended him with racist expressions. Acerbi then reiterated his version – that is, that he had never uttered the word “nigger” nor had he addressed any racist insult to his opponent – both with the leaders of Inter and then with the men of the federal prosecutor’s office, who heard so much him as much as Juan Jesus.

Thuram’s position

Several footballers intervened in the case, including Marcus Thuram, Acerbi’s teammate at Inter. Since the withdrawal of the French selection, the striker declared: “In similar cases it is better not to go to the national team, but to stay with the club and clarify your position. In cases of racism you have to leave the field and make everyone understand that it is a thing inadmissible”. Acerbi had turned to Thuram during the Inter-Napoli match in an attempt to convince Juan Jesus of his good faith. Speaking to his French companion, in a lip-syncing speech caught by the cameras, Acerbi said: “Tell him I’m not racist.”

Juan Jesus cannot appeal

Juan Jesus can do nothing but accept the sports judge’s ruling. The Napoli defender is in fact not a party to the proceedings, which the federal prosecutor’s office initiated on its own initiative. Even in the theoretical case in which Juan Jesus decided to present a complaint about the incident, without providing new evidence, his initiative would clash with the general principle of law according to which one cannot be judged twice for the same fact. From a judicial point of view, the matter should therefore end here. Not from the personal one. Juan Jesus changed his profile picture on Instagram, choosing a photograph of a clenched fist, the universal symbol of the fight against racism.

Napoli’s press release

The Napoli players learned of Acerbi’s acquittal while they were working on the training pitches and consoled Juan Jesus, who was devastated by the news. The club then commented on the sentence with a note, published on its website: “Mr Acerbi has not been sanctioned. At this point the culprit should, for sporting “justice”, be Juan Jesus, who would have accused a colleague unjustly. We are stunned.” Hence, the decision to give a concrete response: “Napoli will no longer adhere to mere façade initiatives of football institutions against racism and discrimination, we will continue to do them ourselves, as we have always done, with renewed conviction and determination”.

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Lady Acerbi: “Rinse your mouth”

On social networks, the comments are divided mainly by support: the Inter fans are guaranteed, the others are indignant, with obvious exceptions on both sides. It was also his opinion Claudia Scarpari, lawyer and wife of Acerbi, who in a story on Instagram commented on the ruling of the sports judge, siding alongside her husband: “Now rinse your mouth!”. She then added: “I toast to those who insult family members. To those who threaten the lives of my children. To the keyboard lions. To those who have inundated me and my children with insults for days. Cheers, you need it.”