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Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has called for action from Serie A officials after allegedly being targeted by racist chants from Juventus fans following his equaliser at the Allianz Stadium.
The Belgium international netted a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time to earn Inter a 1-1 draw in Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg, before using his finger to shush the home fans.
Referee Davide Massa booked Lukaku for the celebration and showed the goalscorer a second yellow card following a heated aftermath that spilled over past full-time, leading to Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic also seeing red.
Lukaku pointed to his previous experiences of racism in Italy as he responded to the events with an Instagram post.
He said: “History repeats. [I’ve] been through it in 2019 and [now in] 2023 again.
“I hope the league really take actions for real this time because this beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone.
“Thank you for the supportive messages. F*** racism.”
The post has received supportive comments from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Mario Balotelli among others.
Jerome Boateng also tweeted in support, saying: “We’ll always have your back Rom! F*** Racism!”
Earlier on Wednesday, Lukaku’s agency ROC Nation Sports International also responded to the incident, calling for an apology from Juventus and action from Italian authorities.
Via a statement on Twitter, the agency’s president Michael Yormark said: “The racist remarks made towards Romelu Lukaku by Juventus fans in Turin were beyond despicable and cannot be accepted.
“Romelu deserves an apology from Juventus, and I expect the league to condemn the behaviour of this group of Juventus supporters immediately.
“The Italian authorities must use this opportunity to tackle racism, rather than punish the victim of the abuse. I am certain that the footballing world shares the same sentiment.”
