Napoli said Wednesday it was
boycotting the Italian soccer league's upcoming anti-racism
weekend in protest against the acquittal of Inter's Italy
defender Francesco Acerbi who was cleared for insufficient
evidence of calling Napoli's Brazil defender Juan Jesus a negro
even though Jesus said he did it.
In his ruling Tuesday, the Serie A sporting judge lent credence
to Acerbi's claim he had merely told Jesus "ti faccio nero"
(lit.'I'll make you black, meaning I'll tan your hide), rather
than saying, as the Brazilian reported, "go away black, you're
just a negro".
The judge said the alleged racial slur had not been picked up by
microphones or heard by any other players.
Napoli said it was "dumbfounded" by the ruling which implicitly
called Jesus a liar.
The Brazilian posted a picture of a raised fist in the Black
Power salute used iconically by US 200m runners Tommie Smith and
John Carlos on the podium of the 1968 Mexico Games, a gesture
that has more recently been taken up by the Black Lives Matter
movement.
"We won't be taking part in the Keep Racism Out day," said
Napoli marketing director Tommaso Bianchini.
After the alleged incident in the recent 1-1 draw at the San
Siro between the runaway Serie A leaders and likely champs and
their predecessors, Acerbi was dropped for Italy's friendlies in
the USA against Venezuela and Ecuador.
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