Inter Milan assistant coach Massimiliano Farris says that “everyone is on the side” of defender Francesco Acerbi after the firestorm that erupted around he and Napoli defender Juan Jesus.
The Nerazzurri assistant coach spoke in a press conference, as reported by FCInterNews, after the team beat Empoli 2-0 in Serie A.
Acerbi started for Inter in the team’s victory over Empoli yesterday.
That match was the return to Serie A action after the international break.
Acerbi had also started in the Nerazzurri’s previous match, against Napoli before the break.
But the ensuing two weeks were anything but uneventful. And they even cast doubt on the prospect Acerbi being available against Empoli, or playing for Inter.
The reason was an incident between Acerbi and Napoli defender Jesus.
The Napoli player alleged that his Inter opposite number used racially derogatory language during an argument on the pitch.
Had Acerbi been found guilty of doing so, then the Inter defender would have faced the prospect of at least a ten-match ban.
However, the investigation into the incident delivered a not guilty verdict. The judge determined that there was not enough evidence to find Acerbi guilty of racially abusing Jesus.
Massimiliano Farris: Everyone At Inter Behind Francesco Acerbi
Just because Acerbi was found not guilty, however, does not mean that the incident doesn’t have the prospect of seriously affecting the player’s season.
Juan Jesus continues to allege that the Inter defender racially abused him.
And Jesus’s club Napoli has backed the Brazilian up in this.
Therefore, the possibility for the incident to continue to be a distraction is certainly very much real.
But according to Farris, “We followed the whole unfolding situation. There was a whole media firstorm.”
“He told us his truth,” Farris said of Acerbi.
“And we’re all on his side that he did not use any racist language.”
The Inter assistant coach continued that “I’ve known him since his time at Lazio. He’s not racist and he’s a good guy.”
“Once this unfortunate incident was in the past, we knew that he would respond in a very professional way, and he has.”
