Take real action against Racism — Lukaku cautions Serie A

Inter Milan striker, Romelu Lukaku, has called on Serie A to take real action against racism in football after he was subjected to racist chanting from some Juventus fans during the Coppa Italia semi-final first-leg tie on Tuesday. Lukaku was subbed on in the 69th minute and went on to score a stoppage-time penalty to cancel out Juan Cuadrado’s opener.

However, throughout Lukaku’s cameo appearance, he was subjected to vile chants from a section of Juventus supporters, with video footage showing some fans making monkey noises. After scoring the penalty, Lukaku put a finger to his lips to silence the crowd and was shown a second yellow card for excessive celebrating.

This is not the first time that Lukaku has experienced racist abuse in Serie A. In 2019, while playing for Inter Milan against Cagliari, he was also subjected to monkey chants from the home fans. In a post on his Instagram account on Wednesday, Lukaku wrote, “History repeats itself. Been through it in 2019…and 2023 again. I hope the league really takes action for real this time because this beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone. Thank you for the supportive messages. F*ck racism.”

In response to the incident, Serie A released a statement condemning racism, although it did not specifically mention Lukaku. The incident has sparked outrage across the football community, with many calling on Serie A to take stronger action against racism in the sport.

Lukaku’s experience highlights the ongoing problem of racism in football and the need for action to be taken to eradicate it. The incident has also raised questions about the effectiveness of existing measures to combat racism in football and the need for stronger action to be taken to ensure that the sport is inclusive and welcoming to all.