This archive report was first published on 6 December 2019.
On December 6, 2019, Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport faced a backlash over its controversial "Black Friday" headline, which was deemed racist by former Manchester United teammates Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling.
The front-page headline accompanied an article about the first Serie A meeting between Lukaku and Smalling, who face off at the San Siro on Friday as the northern side look to maintain top spot in Serie A.
Both players have condemned the headline, with Lukaku accusing the paper of "fuelling negativity and racism" and Smalling describing it as "wrong and highly insensitive".
Corriere dello Sport has since dedicated its first three pages to the affair, with photos of their past headlines treating the subject of racism.
The newspaper praised Lukaku and Smalling, "two extraordinary professionals," and apologized for any hurt caused, stating that their intention was not to hurt them, but rather to showcase them.
Italy has a history of racist abuse in football, with players such as Lukaku, Mario Balotelli, France's Blaise Matuidi, Ivorian Franck Kessie, and Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly regularly targeted with insults and racist chants in recent seasons.
