Romelu Lukaku urges Serie A to do something about racial abuse

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku took to his Instagram account to call on Serie A to take action after suffering racial abuse during Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg at Juventus.

Lukaku was on the receiving end of racial abuse from the stands after picking up a second booking for celebrations in front of the Bianconeri fans, having slotted home an injury-time penalty to help his side claim a 1-1 draw.

During his first stint in Serie A, the Chelsea loanee had similar problems and refused to stay silent, stating the situation was getting worse after falling victim to insults from Cagliari fans in 2019.

Fast forward four years and the Belgium international was targeted by Juventus supporters during a chaotic end to a nerve-shredding first-leg finale at the Allianz Stadium.

As was the case in the past, the 29-year-old has urged the Serie A chiefs to do something about continuous racial abuse that’s been a persistent problem at stadiums all across the country for years.

“History repeats… Been through it in 2019.. and 2023 again..” he wrote on his Instagram profile in the aftermath, looking back at the 2019 alleged monkey chants by Cagliari fans.

Aware the Sardinian faithful got away unpunished that time, the robust striker demanded actions to be taken this time.

“I hope the league really take action for real this time because this beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone,” he added.

Unpleasant scenes down the final stretch of Inter’s hard-fought 1-1 draw at Juventus saw the Nerazzurri captain Samir Handanovic and Juve midfielder Juan Cuadrado sent off after the final whistle.

Both benches had to intervene to separate the two players, but the heat failed to subside even though referee Davide Massa showed straight reds to both stars.

In support of the Belgian striker, Inter issued a statement to reiterate their stance against racism shortly after the game.

“Football and sport must not only be a place for emotion but also for clear and shared values, and what we saw last night in the final minutes of the Juventus vs Inter Coppa Italia semi-final in Turin has no place in our sport,” it read.

“This is why we reiterate our support, affection and solidarity to Romelu Lukaku, just as the world of football is doing from all over since the incident.

“Stay strong Rom, we stand with you!”