Juan Jesus is infuriated by the decision to acquit Inter’s Francesco Acerbi in the alleged racism case and Napoli are providing strong support for their defender.
Acerbi was found not guilty by Serie A sports judge Gerardo Mastrandrea after the Napoli centre back alleged that he was called a ‘n****r’. The Italian was at risk of a 10-match ban, but a lack of concrete evidence ultimately guided the decision.
Juan Jesus and Napoli both expressed their dissatisfaction with the ruling on Tuesday evening, with the Brazilian changing his Instagram profile picture to the Black Power salute and the club releasing a statement calling Serie A anti-racism initiatives ‘just for show’.
As reported by Il Mattino via TMW, Juan Jesus has been surprised and upset by the decision to acquit Acerbi, feeling disappointed and worried for the future. He was even angrier after being told that he couldn’t appeal against the ruling.
Napoli and the squad will decide today the best ways to support the 32-year-old and a special pre-match shirt could be worn against Atalanta. He could also be given the captain’s armband as a sign of respect and support.
Italian football keeps moving backwards. Racism, difficulties of building private owned stadiums, rigged scores & more. And Acerbi shoulda left his Lazio past behind.