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Racism is a social flaw that, unfortunately, is not foreign to football. This was demonstrated last Tuesday in the Copa Italia match between Juventus and Inter Milan with Romelu Lukaku as the protagonist. The Belgian forward was a victim of racist chants from the most radical fans of the Turin team and when he decided to respond in his own way, he was quickly shown the red card. After this condemnable event, the former Chelsea player stated that he hopes that Serie A “takes action” against the ultras of the 'Vecchia' who chanted the songs.
The goal in the 95th minute that resulted in the definitive tie of the match (1-1), and the immediate celebration of Lukaku, who had already made the same gesture - a military salute with one hand and the index finger of the other on his mouth - during the international break as a dedication to his injured compatriot Doku, ended with the 'ultra' fans chanting racist chants against the striker.
The referee understood that Lukaku's celebration - a military salute with one hand and the index finger of the other on his mouth - was a provocation and showed him his second yellow card of the match. After Inter Milan, Juventus, and Serie A - the organizer of the Cup - condemned the actions, Lukaku expressed his opinion.
"History repeats itself. I went through this in 2019 and again in 2023. I hope Serie A truly takes action against this because football should be enjoyed by everyone. Thank you for the messages of support," he posted on his Instagram account.
Lukaku's expulsion generated protests from Inter players, which led to another confrontation that lasted until the tunnel of the locker rooms between goalkeeper Samir Handanovic and Juan Cuadrado, a Juventus player who also scored the first goal of the match. Both were also expelled.
Inter will take measures
The Lombard team will try to have Lukaku's second yellow card removed, citing the precedent of Nigerian Ademola Lookman, a player for Atalanta who had a yellow card revoked on October 9 for a goal celebration that the referee also initially understood as a provocation.
Juventus reported that they are working to identify the authors of the chants, and Danilo, one of the captains, also condemned the racist acts. In addition, the Belgian national team and Anderlecht, Lukaku's first team, showed their support for the striker.
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