He feared the blow, acquittal arrived. No disqualification for Francesco Acerbi, according to the sports judge there is no evidence that the Inter player last March 17, during the match against Napoli, insulted the opposing defender, Juan Jesus, with racist phrases. Thus the case ends, with a decision – that of the sports magistrate Gerardo Mastrandrea – which cannot be appealed.
Therefore the Brazilian from Napoli who had spoken of discriminatory phrases against him will not be able to appeal, and on the sports justice front the matter is a closed chapter. For the Roman judge, who replaced Tosel in 2016, “in this case the minimum level of reasonable certainty regarding the certainly discriminatory content of the offense committed is not reached”, as the Brazilian defender “perceived” it.
In justifying the sentence, Mastrandrea explains that the racist insult was not heard by anyone on the pitch, apart from Juan Jesus, and that there are no images that can prove it. The good faith of the Napoli player who immediately said he had been insulted is not denied, but there are not enough tools to disqualify, or in any case sanction Acerbi. After the match Juan Jesus tried not to emphasize what happened, saying that the Nerazzurri had apologized to him anyway. The following day, however, Acerbi, charged with the case and forced to leave Spalletti’s national team retreat, denied having said racist phrases and that he had been misunderstood.
ANSA Agency Juan Jesus, photo on social media with his fist raised. Napoli: ‘no more superficial anti-racism’ – News – Ansa.it The Brazilian changes his image by evoking anti-racism battles (ANSA) An about-face which had pushed the Brazilian into a counter-reply: “He told me ‘go away black, you’re just a black’. Following my protest to the referee he admitted he had made a mistake and apologized to me, then also added : ‘For me, nigger, it’s an insult like any other’.” Acerbi for his part had justified himself by claiming to have said ‘I’ll make you black’, a thesis supported in his defense also before the sports magistrates. The judge had asked the federal prosecutor to shed light on the facts: and so Giuseppe Chinè in recent days listened to the two players (who confirmed their versions) and sent the report with the additional investigations to the judge who did not have the documents in hand Acerbi sanctioned.
In fact – according to what is stated in the reasons – there is proof of the offense “but the seriously discriminatory content remains confined to the words of the offended party, without any further external evidential and circumstantial support, direct and indirect, even of a testimonial type” there is not that reasonable certainty that we are faced with a discriminatory act with the aggravating circumstance of race to be able to impose a sanction. Which would also have been heavy (by regulation ten days of suspension, a decision that would have put participation in the European Championship and the defender’s Nerazzurri career at risk). The Inter player paid only by being excluded from the Azzurri’s trip to the USA: a decision to leave the environment calm, but coach Luciano Spalletti himself had been lenient on the episode. “From what he told me it’s not about racism, you still need to be careful” were the words of the national coach before leaving for Miami. The acquittal now causes a toast in the Acerbi household (the first is his wife Claudia Scarpari who writes on social media: “Cheers. To those who insult family members. To those who threaten the lives of their children. To the keyboard lions. Now rinse your mouths” ) But many instead shout “shame” and the hashtag #Marottaleague is running. As for Juan Jesus, after the sentence he changed his Instagram profile photo, placing a clenched fist in the air: an image more eloquent than many words and which refers to the Black Power movements against racism, of Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the podium of the Games of Mexico 1968 with a closed fist. And also taken up, in recent years, by the Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Napoli’s reaction was decidedly harsh and responded with the hashtag #iostoconjj: ‘Basiti, we will no longer adhere to mere façade initiatives by football institutions against racism’. The Brazilian “cannot reasonably have misunderstood” and if the proof of the offense should however, according to the club, have resulted in a sanction.
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Source: Ansa
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
