The decision to exclude Francesco Acerbi from the squad after accusations of racism against Juan Jesus was “a huge disappointment” for Luciano Spalletti. Regarding the episode, the Nerazzurri defender denies having uttered racist insults towards the Brazilian from Naples. And this is the version reiterated during the Italian retreat: “We must be careful – continues Spalletti in view of the two friendly matches in the United States against Venezuela and Ecuador – even when we report an episode of this kind”. Concerning Acerbi, the national team coach said he saw him “in difficulty, but we have to be careful with our behavior, we have responsibilities”. For now, Spalletti says he wants to believe the player: “From what Acerbi told me, this is not an episode of racism.” And for his part, he also tried to find out who would receive this insult. To those who asked him if he had tried to contact Juan Jesus, the coach replied: “His phone is off, I tried to call him.”
Spalletti emphasizes the level of attention that all players must have on and off the field. “Even more so when you’re part of the national team. The two hours on the pitch are important, but also the other 22 hours where we wear the national team jersey.” And in the episode he adds: “We are all in this situation. Now we have seen Francesco in difficulty and for us it is important. Nothing changes from the point of view of the strength of the team, but we are satisfied from the human point of view.
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