FIGC President Gabriele Gravina has publicly backed the decision to acquit Inter defender Francesco Acerbi following an investigation into alleged racist comments made towards Napoli’s Juan Jesus, insisting that the sentence ‘must be respected’.
In the closing stages of Inter and Napoli’s 1-1 draw on March 17, Juan Jesus accused Acerbi of using racist language towards him, claiming that the ‘n*****’ word was used, while Acerbi claimed that he had said “‘I’ll beat you black and blue’.
Both players were questioned as part of an investigation led by Giuseppe Chine and the FIGC Prosecutor’s Office.
Due to a lack of sufficient evidence supporting Juan Jesus’ version of events, the FIGC officially acquitted Acerbi on Tuesday.
What Gravina said about Acerbi
Gravina, who was speaking at the League Assembly on Thursday, told attendees that he believed Acerbi’s version of events and that the FIGC’s decision is one that must be respected.
“This is the judge’s decision, one that everyone must accept, including those who do not feel satisfied by the outcome,” Gravina said while discussing Acerbi’s acquittal, reported via Gianluca Di Marzio.
“There are certain principles that must be respected, otherwise we risk collapsing the entire system. I accept the verdict on a human level and I will give the boy a hug when I see him.”
Acerbi was also removed from Luciano Spalletti’s Italy national team squad ahead of two friendlies in the USA while the investigation was ongoing.
On the decision to exclude Acerbi from the national team during the international break, Gravina added: “We learned of a check by the sports judge, and so, to avoid any sort of distraction, we left him at home.
“It was a precautionary decision, not because he was already convicted. Acerbi proved his version of events and we believe what the boy said.”
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