(Reuters) – Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi has exited the Italy camp before their friendly matches due to being accused of using a racist expression by Napoli’s Juan Jesus during a Serie A game, as announced by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).
Originally part of the 28-man squad selected by manager Luciano Spalletti for games against Venezuela and Ecuador in the United States, the 36-year-old will now be replaced by AS Roma’s Gianluca Mancini.
Italy’s matches against Venezuela and Ecuador are scheduled for Thursday and March 24, respectively.
The alleged incident took place during a 1-1 draw between Serie A leaders Inter and seventh-placed Napoli on Sunday, with Jesus, the defender for Napoli, later expressing that Acerbi had apologized for the situation.
Acerbi, who has been capped 34 times, provided his version of events to Spalletti and his teammates in Rome on Monday morning, as confirmed by the FIGC.
“From the Nerazzurri defender’s statement, it was revealed that there was no intention of defamation, denigration, or racism on his part, pending further investigation in line with the autonomy of sports justice,” mentioned the FIGC in a statement.
Inter has acknowledged the FIGC’s statement and intends to discuss the matter with the player promptly to clarify the exact details of the incident from the previous night, as conveyed in a statement released by the club.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
