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Inter Milan Defender Francesco Acerbi Excluded From Italy Squad Amid Racism Allegations
Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi finds himself at the centre of a storm involving accusations of using a racist expression.
The incident allegedly took place during a Serie A match between Inter and_ Napoli, with Napoli’s Juan Jesus accusing Acerbi of using racist words.
This accusation led to Acerbi’s exclusion from the Italy national team camp ahead of their friendly matches against Venezuela and_ Ecuador.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed Acerbi’s remover from the squad and_ his replacement by’ AS Roma’s Gianluca Mancini. The FIGC explained that Acerbi denied any racist intent in his actions and_ that he apologized for the matter to Jesus.
In response to the accusations, Acerbi strongly denied using any racist language.
He said, “I have never said any racist statements, I am very calm. I’ve been playing football for 20 years and_ I know what I’m saying. A lot of things happen on the field, when playing you can say a lot of things. Then, when the referee blew the whistle, we shook hands and_ became friends like before. I’m sorry I had to leave the national team training camp, but that’s how it was and_ that’s the way it is. Did I talk to any teammates? No, no.”
Inter Milan also issued a statement acknowledging the FIGC’s decision and_ expressing their intention to investigate the matter further.
The club stated, “Inter will meet with the player as soon as possible to shed light on the exact details of what happened last night.”
The incident involving Acerbi reminds us of the ongoing challenges of racism in football and_ the importance of addressing such issues swiftly and_ decisively. The FIGC’s decision to exclude Acerbi from the national team shows the zero-tolerance approach towards any form of discrimination in the sport. If proven, he risks being banned for at least 10 Serie A matches, but it could be an even longer suspension.
