Romelu Lukaku, the Inter Milan striker, was subjected to racist abuse before he was sent off for celebrating his goal against Juventus in the Copa Italia semifinal, according to his representatives. The incident has once again highlighted the issue of racism in Italian football. Lukaku scored a stoppage-time penalty to secure a 1-1 draw for Inter Milan in Tuesday’s first leg. However, he was shown a second yellow card after putting a finger to his lips in front of home supporters in Turin.
Michael Yormark, the president of Roc Nation Sports International, issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the “disgusting” racist abuse Lukaku received from Juventus fans. Yormark demanded an apology from Juventus for the “hostile and disgusting racist abuse” Lukaku received “before, during and after the penalty”. He also called on the Italian authorities to tackle racism rather than punishing the victim of the abuse.
Serie A, Italy’s top division, released a statement on Wednesday condemning all instances of racism and discrimination without naming Lukaku. The league is expected to open a disciplinary case into the matter, while Juventus has said it will collaborate with authorities to identify the fans responsible.
Lukaku, who rejoined Inter Milan on loan from Chelsea last year, was previously racially abused during matches in his first stint at the Italian club from 2019-21. This season, Serie A has launched investigations into racist chanting by fans of several clubs. The incident on Tuesday came on the day Lazio were handed a suspended one-match stand closure for their supporters’ mass anti-Semitic chanting during last month’s Rome derby. Roma were also fined €8,000 ($8,750) for their fans racially abusing Sampdoria coach Dejan Stankovic on Sunday.
Former Red Star Belgrade, Lazio and Inter Milan midfielder Stankovic was targeted with chants calling him a “gypsy” by hardcore home supporters until Roma coach Jose Mourinho demanded they stop.
The incident involving Lukaku has reignited the debate around racism in Italian football. The country has a long history of racist abuse towards black players, and the problem has persisted despite efforts to tackle it. In 2019, Italian football authorities launched a campaign called “No to Racism” in response to a series of high-profile incidents. However, critics argue that more needs to be done to address the issue.
The incident involving Lukaku is not an isolated case. In recent years, several high-profile players have been subjected to racist abuse in Italian football. In 2019, AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie was racially abused by fans of Verona during a Serie A match. The same year, Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly was subjected to monkey chants during a match against Inter Milan.
The problem of racism in Italian football is not limited to the top division. Lower leagues have also been affected by the issue. In 2019, a Serie C match between Pro Patria and AC Monza was abandoned after Pro Patria fans racially abused AC Monza player Kevin-Prince Boateng.
The incident involving Lukaku has once again highlighted the need for action to tackle racism in Italian football. It is not enough for authorities to simply condemn the behaviour of fans. More needs to be done to identify and punish those responsible for racist abuse. Football clubs also have a responsibility to take action to prevent racism from occurring at their matches.
Ultimately, the problem of racism in Italian football is a societal issue that requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders to address. Until there is a genuine commitment to tackle the issue, incidents like the one involving Lukaku will continue to occur, tarnishing the reputation of Italian football and causing harm to those who are targeted by racist abuse.