Soccer is often dubbed a beautiful sport, and many soccer superstars are idolized across the world by young children. But sometimes it turns ugly as well, which stains the game’s reputation. Francesco Acerbi is the latest player to allegedly put shame on the beautiful game.
The world has already seen the horrible treatment Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. faces in every match in Spain. Racism is a big issue in European soccer, and it seems that even in Italy it has reared it’s head.
What did Francesco Acerbi say to Juan Jesus?
The incident happened during the Serie A clash between Inter Milan and Napoli yesterday which ended 1-1. At one point of the game, Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi allegedly made a racial remark to Napoli defender Juan Jesus.
Acerbi had apparently called Jesus a ‘negro’, a racial insult used against people of color. Jesus complained on the pitch to the referee, and even pointed to the Keep Racism Out badge on the teams’ jerseys. The incident was considered over at the point when Acerbi decided to apologize for his comments to Jesus, and the Brazilian defender also accepted that ‘what happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch’, a quote he said to journalists after the game.
🚨🚨 BREAKING: Juan Jesus has posted a statement on Instagram.
— Inter Xtra (@Inter_Xtra) March 18, 2024
“For me, the matter was closed yesterday on the pitch after Acerbi's apologies and I honestly would have preferred not to go back to something as vile as what I had to suffer.
Today, however, I read Acerbi’s… pic.twitter.com/zqqeMwvxiY
However, when the Inter player was grilled by journalists, he alleged that no racial insults were used by him. This infuriated Jesus, who believed the truth was being suppressed, and wrote an Instagram post that Acerbi had indeed racially abused him and had told him on the pitch, “get lost black, you’re just a negro”.
The whole incident was captured on TV and lipreading suggests Juan’s version of the events to be true, which makes Acerbi a liar.
Does Francesco Acerbi face consequences for alleged racism?
Francesco Acerbi is now receiving massive backlash from fans and others around the globe. He had been selected for the Italian national team for their upcoming friendly games, but was dropped from the squad after the incident went viral. Roma’s Gianluca Mancini was instead selected for the squad.
After Jesus made the incriminating Instagram post, Acerbi is now being investigated. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced earlier today that they would be investigating the player.
Their statement read, “After examining the referee’s report, the sports judge considers it necessary for the federation’s public prosecutor to investigate what happened between Napoli’s Juan Jesus and Inter Milan’s Francesco Acerbi in relation to any expressions of racial discrimination made by the latter.” There is no timeframe of when a final verdict will be given.
While there is no idea of what punishment could follow, reports suggest a maximum ban of 10 games is in order. It could both end his club season for Inter Milan and even affect his potential inclusion in Italy’s upcoming Euro squad.
