Juan Jesus has revealed the alleged racist remark aimed at him by Francesco Acerbi during Napoli's Serie A fixture against Inter.
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Incident took place at San SiroAcerbi denied abusing Juan JesusNapoli star fires back on social mediaGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Inter and Napoli played out a 1-1 draw at San Siro on Sunday, which was overshadowed by allegations of racism. Juan Jesus appeared to be telling the match referee that Acerbi had used a racist remark in the second half, and was seen pointing to the "Keep Racism Out" badge on his sleeve, which is included on all team shirts as part of Serie A's anti-racism campaign.
Despite the incident, Acerbi initially joined up with the Italy squad ahead of friendlies against Venezuela and Ecuador in the United States, but has now been replaced by Roma's Gianluca Mancini. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) explained the decision in a statement, which reads: "From the Inter defender's account, pending that what happened is reconstructed with full respect to the autonomy of the sporting justice system, it emerged that there was no defamatory, denigrating or racist intent on his part. It was nevertheless agreed to leave Acerbi out of the squad for the next two friendly matches in the United States, to guarantee the necessary serenity to the national team and to the player himself, who will return to his club today."
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Upon his return from the Italy camp, Acerbi said to the Italian media: "I did not say any racist phrases. I have been playing football for 20 years and I know what I say. Many things happen on the pitch … but when the referee blows his whistle, you shake hands, and it all goes back to how it was before.
"There must be no racism anywhere in the world. I'm sorry I had to leave the national team training camp, but that's how it was and it's right."
JUAN JESUS' RESPONSE
Juan Jesus took to social media to issue an angry response to Acerbi's denial, claiming the Inter defender called him a "nero" – the Italian word for black – before using the racist slur "n*gro". The Napoli star's statement in full reads: "For me the issue was closed yesterday on the pitch with Acerbi’s excuses and honestly I would have preferred not to go back to something so vile as what I had to suffer. But today I read statements by Acerbi totally contradicting the reality of the events, with what he said yesterday on the field of the game and with the evidence shown also by footage and unmistakable lips in which he asks for forgiveness.
"I'm not going to fit like that. Racism is being fought here and now. Acerbi told me 'go away nero, you’re just a n*gro.' Following my protest with the referee, he admitted he was wrong and apologized and then added: 'for me n*gro is an insult like any other'. Today he changed his version and claims that there was no racist insult. I have nothing to add."
GettyWHAT NEXT?
Acerbi wasn't shown a yellow or red card by the referee in Sunday's Serie A game, but could still face retrospective punishment if the FIGC open an official investigation. If found guilty of using a racist slur, the Italy international could face a ban of up to 10 games, with the referee's report having already been sent to Serie A's sporting judiciary. Acerbi reportedly spoke to Italy boss Luciano Spalletti and his team-mates to explain "the presumed racist expression" he allegedly used, but is no longer with the squad, and it remains to be seen whether the incident will affect his chances of playing at Euro 2024.
