Romelu Lukaku, a striker for Inter Milan, was targeted by “disgusting” racial remarks before he was sent off for celebrating scoring against Juventus in the Coppa Italia semifinal, according to his representation. This is the latest racism claim to slam Italian sport. Lukaku’s stoppage-time penalty gave Inter a 1-1 draw in the first leg on Tuesday, but he was immediately issued a second yellow card for putting his finger to his lips in front of the home fans in Turin. Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation Sports International, issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the racial slurs used towards Romelu Lukaku by Juventus supporters in Turin on Tuesday night.
Yormark sought an apology from Juventus for the “hostile and repulsive” racial slurs directed at Lukaku “before, during, and after the penalty” “The Italian government must seize this chance to combat racism instead of punishing the victim,” he continued. Serie A, Italy’s premier football league, issued a statement on Wednesday “strongly condemning any incidents of racism and prejudice” without name Lukaku. “A few supporters in the stands cannot damage football and do not represent the whole stadium’s spectators… Like in the past, Serie A teams will be able to identify the perpetrators and permanently ban them from their grounds. The league will likely begin a disciplinary investigation into the incident, and Juventus has stated that it would work with police to identify the culpable fans. Lukaku, who rejoined Inter Milan on loan from Chelsea in 2018-19, was subjected to racial slurs throughout his debut season with the Italian club in 2019-20.
During the current Series A season, numerous clubs have been investigated for racist shouting by their fans. Tuesday’s incident occurred on the same day Lazio received a suspended one-match stand closure for anti-Semitic shouting by their supporters during last month’s Rome derby. Sunday’s racist abuse of Sampdoria coach Dejan Stankovic by Roma supporters resulted in an 8,000 euro ($8,750) punishment for the city rivals Roma. Former Red Star Belgrade, Lazio, and Inter Milan footballer Stankovic was subjected to “gipsy” taunts by diehard Roma fans until coach Jose Mourinho requested they cease.
