This archive report was first published on 5 December 2019.
On December 5, 2019, Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport faced backlash from anti-racism group Fare for using the headline “Black Friday” to preview a match between Inter Milan and AS Roma.
The match featured former Manchester United teammates Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku, who were pictured on the front page of the newspaper in bold letters.
Fare retweeted the headline, criticizing the media for fueling racism: “The media fuels racism every day. This is today’s edition of Corriere dello Sport.”
Italian football has struggled with racism, with players like Lukaku and Mario Balotelli facing abuse and insults from fans and pundits.
Earlier this year, Smalling backed a campaign to boycott social media for 24 hours in protest against racism, and all 20 Serie A clubs signed an open letter condemning racism in Italian football.
