Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has known as for motion from Serie A officers after allegedly being focused by racist chants from Juventus followers following his equaliser on the Allianz Stadium.
The Belgium worldwide netted a penalty within the fifth minute of stoppage time to earn Inter a 1-1 attract Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg, earlier than utilizing his finger to shush the house followers.
Referee Davide Massa booked Lukaku for the celebration and confirmed the goalscorer a second yellow card following a heated aftermath that spilled over previous full-time, resulting in Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic additionally seeing pink.
Lukaku pointed to his earlier experiences of racism in Italy as he responded to the occasions with an Instagram put up.
He mentioned: “Historical past repeats. [I’ve] been via it in 2019 and [now in] 2023 once more.
“I hope the league actually take actions for actual this time as a result of this stunning sport ought to be loved by everybody.
“Thanks for the supportive messages. F*** racism.”
The put up has obtained supportive feedback from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Mario Balotelli amongst others.
Jerome Boateng additionally tweeted in help, saying: “We’ll at all times have your again Rom! F*** Racism!”
Earlier on Wednesday, Lukaku’s company ROC Nation Sports activities Worldwide additionally responded to the incident, calling for an apology from Juventus and motion from Italian authorities.
Through an announcement on Twitter, the company’s president Michael Yormark mentioned: “The racist remarks made in the direction of Romelu Lukaku by Juventus followers in Turin had been past despicable and can’t be accepted.
“Romelu deserves an apology from Juventus, and I count on the league to sentence the behaviour of this group of Juventus supporters instantly.
“The Italian authorities should use this chance to sort out racism, fairly than punish the sufferer of the abuse. I’m sure that the footballing world shares the identical sentiment.”
