Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi has been found not guilty of racially abusing Napoli's Juan Jesus.
The altercation occurred when Inter hosted Napoli at San Siro on March 17, shortly before the international break.
Headlines after the game quickly shifted away from the 1-1 draw though, and to claims made by Jesus, who stated that Acerbi made a racist comment towards him, but he initially tried to diffuse the matter by saying: "What happens on the field, stays on the field, he is a good guy."
The media and the public did not share Jesus's belief though, and Acerbi was soon dropped from the Italy national side by manager Luciano Spalletti, a former coach of Jesus's at Napoli.
That saw Acerbi return to Milan merely hours after making the trip to Rome to meet up with the rest of his Azzurri teammates, where he pleaded his innocence to numerous media outlets at Milano Centrale train station.
Later in the week, Jesus confirmed that Acerbi directed a racial slur against him and reported it for investigation.
Acerbi responded by claiming his words were he would punch Juan Jesus "until he was black and blue".
© Reuters
The two players were questioned over the incident on Friday, as the FIGC investigated the claims which could have seen Acerbi handed a 10-game suspension.
However, Serie A sports judge Gerardo Mastrandrea revealed the verdict that Acerbi has been found not guilty on Tuesday afternoon following an investigation by the FIGC Prosecutor's office.
Audio, video and testimonies from those involved and on the pitch that night were analysed, but no clear evidence could be found, leading to Acerbi's acquittal.
Acerbi's club Inter were reportedly set to release the defender if he was found guilty, which would have also brought with it a 10-game suspension, ending his season.
However, after their initial fury over the incident, they are now believed to satisfied with the outcome of the civil case, and the 36-year-old will stay on at San Siro.
Acerbi has also been made available for selection by the Italian national team again following the decision, meaning that he could be in line for a place in Spalletti's Euro 2024 squad.
The Inter defender was absent as Italy beat Venezuela and Ecuador on a tour of the US this week - their final matches before Spalletti will name his squad in early June.
Andrew Delaney
