The Italian Serie A League was quick to react. After the racist insults uttered Tuesday against Romelu Lukaku during the semi-final first leg of the Italian Cup between Juventus and Inter Milan (1-1), the body, which organizes the Italian Cup , announced on Thursday that part of the south stand of the Allianz Stadium would be closed for one match. The League believes that the racist chants came from “the majority of supporters” in this sector.
The Belgian international had been excluded after celebrating his goal in the last moments with a finger on his mouth in front of the Juventus stand who had uttered racist cries against him. On some videos posted on social networks, we could hear monkey cries emanating from the stands. This had caused an uproar in Italy but also in the world of football where many personalities, like Kylian Mbappé, had stepped up to support Lukaku.
But his red card for “bad behavior towards an opponent and for illegal behavior on the pitch” was upheld and he will therefore be suspended for Inter’s next game.
Juventus midfielder Juan Cuadrado has been suspended for three games and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic for one game. Both had been excluded after the final whistle following a scuffle.