Before their Serie A match against Atalanta on Saturday, Napoli’s players knelt down to show their support for their teammate Juan Jesus in public.
This gesture came after a sports judge decided not to punish Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi for allegedly making racist remarks towards Jesus, who is Black, during a Serie A game. The decision was made due to lack of sufficient evidence.
The incident occurred on March 17 when Jesus informed the referee that Acerbi had used a racial slur against him. Acerbi has denied these allegations.
Although the judge acknowledged that Acerbi insulted Jesus, it was deemed that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that it was racially motivated.
Napoli expressed their disbelief at this decision, calling it “astonishing.” In the game against Atalanta, Napoli lost 3-0.