Updated,
April 5, 2023, 7:50 p.m
In the Coppa Italia semi-final tie, Inter striker Romelu Lukaku received a second yellow card after celebrating in response to racial abuse.
Disgraceful scenes broke out at the Allianz Stadium during last night’s Coppa Italia semi-final where Belgian footballer Romelu Lukaku was racially abused.
A 1-1 draw in the first leg saw three players sent off and Lukaku strangely punished for reacting to racial abuse from the stands, before Samir Handanovic and Juan Cuadrado were shown red for starting brawls. .
A mob of Juventus “fans” relentlessly chased the striker on loan from Chelsea before he equalized in the 95th minute, chanting racial slurs “before, during and after the free kick”.
However, the 29-year-old cleared his mind to fire wide in the dying moments, putting a finger to his lips and pointing it back at his racial abusers, and was in the dressing room moments later. seeing red
Roc Nation President Michael Yormak, convicted Lukaku wrote on Twitter: “The racist comments directed at Romelu Lukaku by Juventus fans in Turin tonight were absolutely despicable and cannot be accepted.
“Romelu awarded a penalty in the game. Before, during and after his sentence, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse. Romelu celebrated in the same way as he used to celebrate goals. The referee’s response was to give Romelu a yellow card.
“Romelu deserves an apology from Juventus and I expect the league to immediately condemn the behavior of this group of Juventus fans,” Michael said.
“The Italian authorities should use this opportunity to fight racism, not to punish the victim of violence. I’m sure the football world shares the same sentiments.”
Referee Davide Massa’s decision to send off Lukaku may have been correct on the letter of the law, but common sense was needed to win this incident.
The act of showing a player red for racial abuse will only fuel the fire and make the problem more widespread as Juventus have a home advantage over Inter Milan due to abuse.
Juventus’ answer
Sadly, this is not the first time Romelu Lukaku has been the victim of racial abuse within the confines of Italian football, with the forward claiming the problem was at an “all-time high” in 2021, having suffered similar abuse. language in its latest spell at the club.
Juventus have also confirmed that they will seek to ban any fans found guilty of using racial slurs, saying in a statement. “Juventus Football Club is, as always, cooperating with the police to identify those responsible for the racist gestures and chants that took place last night. .
“Also, in this case, the “Approval Code” will be applied to those responsible, a code that provides for the prohibition of individuals in case of violation of the rules of conduct.
“Juventus Club says this in a statement, in which it recalls its commitment, which began in 2010 against discrimination, race and beyond, and which is also expressed through initiatives such as the podcast ‘On Race’, now in its second season , which hosted Danilo in the last episode.”
Series A Answer
A Series responded to the situation by stating. “Lega Seriea strongly condemns every episode of racism and every form of discrimination.
“A few characters present in the stands cannot spoil the football show and do not represent the thoughts of all the fans and enthusiasts of the stadium, who fortunately share the highest values of the sport.
“Serie A clubs, as they have always done, will be able to identify the culprits by banning them from their premises for life. The Keep Racism Out campaign and the agreement signed with Unar two weeks ago are concrete steps of commitment in this long and ongoing struggle that will lead to the following result without delay:
Inter’s answer
Lukaku’s club, Inter, also shared a comment supporting the Belgian, writing: “We are the brothers and sisters of the world. This has been our story since March 9, 1908,” it said.
“We want to firmly reiterate that we are united against all forms of racism and discrimination.
“Football and sport should be a place not only for emotions but also for clear and shared values, and what we saw last night in the final minutes of the Juventus-Inter Cup semi-final in Turin has no place in our sport.
“This is why we reiterate our support, affection and solidarity with Romelu Lukaku, just as the world of football is doing after the incident. Rome, stay strong, we are with you.”
