The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on Tuesday that it had opened an investigation into racist insults allegedly made by Inter defender Francesco Acerbi. 

“After examining the referee’s report, the sports judge considers it necessary for the federation’s public prosecutor to investigate what happened between Napoli’s Juan Jesus and Inter’s Francesco Acerbi in relation to any expressions of racial discrimination made by the latter,” said the FIGC in a statement. 

Jesus had initially played down the incident following Napoli’s 1-1 draw at Inter on Sunday, telling DAZN “what happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch” after accepting Acerbi’s on-field apology for unspecified insults. 

Brazilian Jesus, who headed home Napoli’s late equaliser at the San Siro, had been seen protesting to match referee Federico La Penna, pointing to the Keep Racism Out badge on his shirt and apparently saying that “(Acerbi) called me a negro”.

Read full story on sport.timesofmalta.com

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