Napoli Defender Reacts To Not Guilty Verdict For Inter Milan Defender In Racism Row: ‘I’m Deeply Saddened By This Outcome’ | OneFootball

Napoli defender Juan Jesus has given a harsh reaction to the verdict finding Inter Milan’s Francesco Acerbi not guilty of racially abusing him.

The Partenopei’s official site contains a message from the 32-year-old responding to yesterday’s verdict.

Yesterday, Sporting Judge Gerardo Mastrandrea delivered his verdict in the case involving Acerbi and Jesus.

The judge decided that there was an absence of evidence that the Inter defender was guilty of racially abusing his Napoli counterpart.

Therefore, there will be no sanction for Acerbi. The 36-year-old risked a ban of at least ten matches had Mastrandrea found him guilty.

This does not necessarily mean that the Judge has found Acerbi to have definitively not used any racially discriminatory language.

Rather, the verdict is simply that there was not any sufficient evidence to prove that the Inter defender had done so.

But Napoli defender Jesus remains absolutely vehement. The Brazilian insists that Acerbi used a racial slur towards him, and then apologized – but later changed his story.

Juan Jesus: “Deeply Saddened” By Francesco Acerbi Verdict

Jesus’s statement reads that “I’ve read several times, and with great regret, the decision of the Sporting Judge that there is not proof that I was the victim of racist insults during the match between Inter and Napoli on March 17th.”

“It’s an assessment that, although I respect it, I struggle to understand. And it leaves me with great bitterness.”

The statement continues, “I’m sincerely and deeply saddened by this outcome in such a serious matter, in which I was ‘guilty’ of handling it ‘like a gentleman.'”

“Avoiding interrupting an important match, considering all the inconvenience it would have caused for the spectators watching the match.”

“And trusting that my attitude would have been respected, and perhaps taken as an example.”

“After this decision, those who find themselves in the situation that I was in will act in a very different manner,” Jesus’s statement continues.

“To protect themselves, and try to put a stop to the shame of racism, which unfortunately, is still not disappearing easily.”

Jesus writes that “I don’t feel protected in any way by this decision.”

“Which goes between admitting that ‘proof of the offense has certainly been achieved,’ and then maintaining that there is no certainty of its discriminatory nature.”

“Which, once again according to the decision, only I ‘in good faith’ would have perceived.”

Jesus’s statement reads that “I really don’t understand how the phrase, ‘Get lost, darkie. You’re just a [n-word] can certainly be offensive, but not discriminatory.”

“In fact, I don’t understand why things got so heated during that evening if it had really just been a ‘simple offense.'”

“One which Acerbi himself felt obliged to apologize. The referee felt that he had to inform VAR. And the match was interrupted for over one minute, as his teammates were anxious to talk to me.”

“I can’t explain why, only the following day and in his national team training camp, Acerbi started to make a U-turn on his version of events.”

“And instead he did not immediately deny, as soon as the match was over, what had actually happened.”

“I didn’t expect a conclusion like this, which I fear – though I hope I’m wrong – could set a serious precedent that subsequently justifies certain behaviours.”

“I sincerely hope that this, for me personally, sad story can help the entire world of football to reflect on such a serious an urgent issue.” Jesus’s statement concludes.