Napoli defender Juan Jesus has slammed the decision not to punish Inter centre-back Francesco Acerbi after an incident of alleged racist abuse during the 1-1 draw between the two sides prior to the international break.
Juan Jesus had accused Acerbi of using the word ‘n****r’ in an exchange in the second half of Napoli’s 1-1 away draw against Inter on March 17.
The case was subsequently investigated by FIGC Prosecutors, led by Giuseppe Chine.
The authorities found insufficient evidence to take the case further, leading to an acquittal for Acerbi, which was confirmed on Tuesday.
Juan Jesus made a symbolic change to his social media profiles in response to Tuesday’s decision, and has now released a formal statement on the Napoli club website with the guidance of his lawyers.
The Brazilian slammed the decision, insisting that he ‘does not feel protected’ and fears that others could act differently in order to protect themselves if they find themselves in similar situations.
Juan Jesus maintained that he ‘acted like a gentleman’ in his reporting of Acerbi’s alleged comments, which he hints could have had an impact on the eventual ruling.
Juan Jesus statement in full
“I have read, several times and with great regret, the decision of the Sports Judge that there is no proof I was the victim of racist insults during the Inter-Napoli match on March 17. Though I respect the decision, it is an assessment that I struggle to understand and it leaves me with great bitterness.
“I am sincerely disheartened by the outcome of a serious matter, in which I am only guilty of having acted ‘like a gentleman’, avoiding the interruption of an important game with all the inconvenience that that would have caused for the spectators, and trusting that my attitude would have been respected and taken, perhaps, as an example.
“After this decision, those who find themselves in a similar situation will probably act in a very different way in order to protect themselves and to try and put a stop to the shame of racism, which, unfortunately, does not seem to be going away.
“I do not feel protected in any way by this decision.
“I really don’t understand how the phrase ‘go away black man, you’re just a n***o’ can be classed as offensive, but not discriminatory.
“In fact, I don’t understand why there was so much fuss that evening if it had really been a ‘simple offence’, one that Acerbi felt obliged to apologise for and one that the referee felt he had to inform VAR. The match was interrupted for more than a minute and his teammates were struggling to talk to me.
“I can’t explain why, only the next day and ahead of the national team camp and not immediately after the match, Acerbi began a U-turn on his version of events.
“I didn’t expect an ending of this kind, which, I fear but hope that I’m wrong, could set a serious precedent.
“I sincerely hope that this sad story can help the entire football world to reflect on such a serious and urgent issue.”
"Spero sinceramente che questa, per me, triste vicenda possa aiutare tutto il mondo del calcio a riflettere su un tema così grave ed urgente."
Clicca qui per la nota integrale: https://t.co/Gehs3pqYvL pic.twitter.com/k7PsAg4Tw2
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) March 27, 2024
Little baby doesn’t feel protected. This is ridiculous coming from a grown man.