The investigation into the alleged racist incident involving Francesco Acerbi and Juan Jesus will be concluded over the weekend, with a verdict expected next week. La Gazzetta dello Sport (via CalcioeFinanza) report that Federal Prosecutor Giuseppe Chinè aims to wrap up the Acerbi-Juan Jesus case within a few days. The intention is to deliver the report to the Sports Judge Gerardo Mastrandrea by the end of this weekend, who had requested further investigation.
To accomplish this, Chinè will hear from Juan Jesus first, who is expected to be interviewed today, while Acerbi will be questioned tomorrow, via video conference from Pinetina, accompanied by Inter’s lawyer. It is likely that the Prosecutor will also speak with the match referee, Federico La Penna. Chinè has also obtained video footage for evidence.
According to Gazzetta, Acerbi will resume his daily training today: the remaining Inter squad gathers at Appiano at 3 p.m., including the defender. Yesterday, Acerbi stayed away from the sports center, where he had met with the Nerazzurri management the day before, and dedicated himself entirely to his family.
Despite discussions with the club, his defence remains unchanged: tomorrow, he will reiterate to the Federal Prosecutor that he did not say or do anything racist, that the word used was “nero” (black), and it was used to say something like “I’ll make you black” to Juan Jesus.
The Federal Prosecutor will decide, then report to the Sports Judge: Acerbi faces a suspension of at least ten matches. As highlighted in article 28, paragraph 2 of the Sports Justice Code, “a player who commits a violation for discriminatory behavior is punished with a suspension of at least 10 matchdays or, in more serious cases, with a fixed-term suspension.”
Pending the conclusion of the investigation, Inter would have preferred a different approach to the case from the beginning. For example, Acerbi’s statements at Central Station, returning from the national team gathering, further exacerbated the situation, leading to a reaction from his Napoli colleague. As reiterated in discussions with the player, everyone at Inter is well aware that the defence is challenging, but any decision will be postponed until after the potential verdict, expected possibly next week.
