This archive report was first published on 2 September 2019.
Italian football has been marred by racism, with the latest incident involving Romelu Lukaku, a 26-year-old Belgian professional footballer, who was subjected to racist abuse from Cagliari fans during a match in Italy.
Lukaku, who joined Inter Milan from Manchester United this summer for £73m, stood and stared at Cagliari fans behind the goal after scoring, as chants of racist abuse echoed through the stadium.
Inter manager Antonio Conte expressed his concerns about the issue, stating, “I really didn’t hear anything from the bench. However, it is true that in general in Italy more education is needed. I have also heard [Laziager] (Carlo) Ancelotti complain about the constant insults received on certain pitches. When you are abroad there is more respect, the fans think only of supporting their team.”
This is not the first time Italian football has been plagued by racism. Last season, Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi and the club’s former striker Moise Kean, who now plays for Everton, were also subjected to racist chanting from Cagliari supporters.
The Italian league’s disciplinary panel later decided not to take action against the club, sparking outrage among fans and players.
Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma was also subjected to racist abuse on Twitter after his own goal in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Sheffield United over the weekend.
England women’s coach Phil Neville called for a six-month social media boycott by footballers in response to a rise in online racist abuse of players, saying, “I’ve lost total faith in whoever runs these social media departments, so I just wonder whether now as a football community, in terms of really sending a powerful message, is: come off social media. Let’s see the effect that it has on these social media companies, whether they’re really going to do something about it.”
