Inter defender Francesco Acerbi hit back at those Lazio ultras who pushed him out of the club this summer. ‘I am more of a man than any of those who pointed the finger at me.’
The veteran had been with the Biancocelesti for many years, but his final two seasons were extraordinarily tense due to a group of ultras who repeatedly demanded his exit.
That situation reached a head when Milan scored a last-gasp winner at the Stadio Olimpico and Acerbi was caught on camera reacting with a bitter laugh, which some read to be almost enjoying his own team’s defeat.
“In the last seven or eight years, I have earned the respect of all my peers because I behave like a professional, on and off the field,” Acerbi told Sky Sport Italia.
“I was the one who wanted to leave Lazio. It was my decision. That incident against Milan really hurt me as a person, what happened was shameful. I stayed quiet, I have always stayed quiet, as I am far more of a man than those who pointed the finger at me saying I had done it on purpose.
“Insults via social media are par for the course now. The important thing is to keep going, nobody can stop because of that. It’s not a problem.”