Napoli players kneel in support of Juan Jesus and to oppose racism

The Brazilian defender of Napoli accused an Inter Milan player of racist insults, but the latter was not sanctioned by the disciplinary committee of the Italian Federation, “for lack of evidence”, on Tuesday.

The Neapolitans did not want to remain silent. The Napoli players knelt on the ground, recalling the gesture reproduced in many sports during the “Black Lives Matter” movement, and some of the club’s supporters shouted “No to racism”, Saturday March 30, before the start of the match between their club and Atalanta Bergamo. These two actions aimed to support their defender Juan Jesus, who says he was the target of racist insults from Francesco Acerbi, Inter Milan player, on March 17.

The Brazilian defender accused the Inter Milan player of having hurled racist insults at him during the clash of the 29th day on March 17 (1-1), before the international break. But the Italian Federation’s disciplinary committee announced on Tuesday that, due to lack of conclusive evidence, it was not imposing any sanction on the Italian international defender. “Discriminatory content, without calling into question good faith [de Juan Jesus]seems to have been perceived only by the single offended player, without the support of any external proof, whether audio, video or even testimony”explained in particular the judgment of the FIGC.

“It’s a decision that, while respecting it, I have difficulty understanding and which leaves me very bitter.wrote Juan Jesus in a long message published by his club following this decision [en anglais]. I am really discouraged by the outcome of a serious matter, the only fault of which was that I handled it as a ‘gentleman’, avoiding interrupting an important match with all the inconvenience that that would have caused for the spectators. , and hoping that my attitude would have been respected and taken, perhaps, as an example. I did not expect such a decision, which I fear – but I hope I am wrong – will create an unfortunate precedent to justify certain behaviors. I sincerely hope that this sad story can help the world of football to reflect on such a serious and urgent issue to be resolved.”

In addition to kneeling, the Neapolitan players wore jerseys without the “Keep racism out” badge that Serie A clubs display on the 29th and 30th days of the season. Saying “stunned” by the absence of sanction against Acerbi, the club management had warned that Napoli would no longer participate in awareness-raising operations against racism and discrimination coordinated by the Italian Federation, “purely cosmetic initiatives”she accuses.