Inter ultras have publicly defended Francesco Acerbi in the midst of his racism row with Napoli’s Juan Jesus, stating they ‘doubt those words left his mouth’.
The 36-year-old Italian centre back is at the centre of a scandal in Serie A after allegedly calling Juan Jesus a ‘n****r’ in the closing stages of the Serie A clash with the Nerazzurri on March 17th. An investigation has been opened by the FIGC and Acerbi is now at real risk of being handed a 10-game ban.
Acerbi withdrew from the Italy squad as a result of the incident and both players will be interviewed by the FIGC Prosecutor’s Office in the coming days. The Inter veteran has continued to protest his innocence and Juan Jesus has held firm in his position.
TMW highlights how the Inter ultras released a statement in defence of Acerbi, doubting the claims that he was racist towards Juan Jesus. The fans from the Curva Nord did clarify that things would be different should definitive proof emerge.
“The Curva Nord are at Francesco Acerbi’s side. For days now, the story of the alleged racial insult by one of our players towards Juan Jesus has been taking centre stage in newspapers, TV and every social media.
“We don’t know what they said to each other on the pitch, but knowing Francesco, we doubt those words left his mouth. A man who fought and defeated cancer, a man of few words and who has always shown himself to be a serious professional.
“Obviously, if the racial insults were to be confirmed, we would distance ourselves from all this, but without concrete proof we remain at the side of our Francesco.”