This archive report was first published on 5 December 2019.
Italian football clubs have been left fuming after a sports daily's front page sparked outrage with its use of the term "Black Friday" in a headline referencing Romelu Lukaku and Roma defender Chris Smalling.
Published on December 5, 2019, the Rome-based Corriere dello Sport's article praised the two players for taking "strong positions against racism and are the symbols of the two clubs". However, the headline itself was met with widespread criticism, with Roma tweeting that "not a single soul" would think the headline a good idea.
"The intention of the newspaper article was actually positive but this headline has totally overshadowed the anti-racist message contained within the story," said Paul Rogers, Roma's chief strategy officer. "Unfortunately, as we've seen on social media, more people will see that ill-judged headline on the front page than read the actual article and it creates new issues at a time when we are all trying to tackle the issue of racism in Italian football."
"It is totally unacceptable to see such casual ignorance on racism," tweeted AC Milan. "We will not stay silent on this issue... superficiality and ignorance on the subject of racism are no longer tolerable." Italian football has a long-standing problem with racism, with several black Serie A players having suffered racial abuse by supporters in the first months of the season. Brescia's Mario Balotelli was the victim of racist abuse by Hellas Verona fans last month, while AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie was also targeted by Verona supporters and Lukaku was himself abused at Cagliari.
