Italian striker Mario Balotelli has entered the discourse surrounding the Francesco Acerbi-Juan Jesus controversy, expressing skepticism over the court’s judgment that acquitted Inter defender Francesco Acerbi of racism charges.
In an interview with Controcampo via Alfredo Pedulla, the former Milan forward shared his thoughts on the court’s decision regarding Acerbi’s alleged use of a racist insult towards Napoli’s Juan Jesus during a Serie A fixture earlier in the season.
Despite an extensive investigation involving multiple camera angles and speech recognition technology, the court found no evidence to support the claims against Acerbi. Balotelli, however, expressed incredulity at the outcome, questioning the thoroughness of the investigation:
“There are twenty thousand cameras, twenty thousand microphones, and they couldn’t find proof of Acerbi’s insult?” he remarked.
Balotelli went on to suggest the possibility of external influences or “protection” that may have affected the court’s judgment in the matter. “According to me, there could be a protection issue,” he added, hinting at potential biases or systemic shortcomings in addressing racism within football.
Despite the controversy, both Francesco Acerbi and Juan Jesus have since resumed their playing duties for their respective clubs, with the dust settling on the case. Acerbi, in particular, addressed the situation in an interview following Jesus’s release of a statement through Napoli, wherein the Brazilian defender questioned the verdict.
