Inter striker Romelu Lukaku was racially abused by Juventus fans during their latest Coppa Italia meeting in Turin but is somehow the only one punished by FIGC.
The Belgian striker received two yellow cards in a 1-1 draw against Juventus in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals on April 4. He received the second yellow card after a goal celebration which was seen as disrespectful to the home crowd.
However, Lukaku had received racist abuse from the ‘majority of the 5,000 Juventus fans in the Curva Sud’ as noted by FIGC inspectors, so he reacted with his usual goal celebration and shouted ‘shut up’ to Juventus fans.
For this reason, he received a second yellow card and was therefore sent off. Inter have lost their appeal to FIGC, meaning Lukaku’s ban for the return leg at San Siro has been confirmed. Oddly, the Belgian forward is the only one punished despite receiving racist insults.
Juventus’ Curva Sud, in fact, had been closed for a game, but the Old Lady won its appeal, having helped authorities identify some racist fans, banning them from the Allianz Stadium.
The same had happened to Lazio in March when the ‘entirety’ of supporters in Curva Nord made anti-semitic chants during a Derby Della Capitale against Roma. Given that the Biancocelesti collaborated with authorities, the one-match ban for Curva Nord has been put on hold for a year.
The latest FIGC verdict on Lukaku has left many surprised, given that the 29-year-old always celebrates this way, and in this particular case, he reacted to racist insults with a few words that were not offensive at all.
Given the circumstances, it would have been fair for FIGC to re-consider his one-match ban, especially considering that the Chelsea loanee was not only racially abused in Turin but is now also the only one punished.