April 11 – Already in crisis on and off the field, Juventus have now been given a partial stadium ban for their next home game in the Italian Cup as a result of racist chants directed towards Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku.
The chanting occurred during last week’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg after the Belgian was shown a second yellow and sent off for celebrating in front of the home fans after converting a 95th-minute penalty to equalise for Inter.
A chaotic end to the encounter saw Inter captain Samir Handanovic and Juve midfielder Juan Cuadrado also dismissed after the final whistle.
The lower tier of Juventus’ South Stand, which holds around 5,000 seats, will now be closed for Juve’s next cup game which won’t be until next season.
In a statement, US-based sports agency Roc Nation – which represents Lukaku – demanded Juventus apologise to the striker, on loan from Chelsea, saying the racist remarks “by Juventus fans in Turin were beyond despicable and cannot be accepted.”
“Before, during, and after the penalty, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse. Romelu celebrated in the same manner he has previously celebrated goals. The referee’s response was to award a yellow card to Romelu.
“The Italian authorities must use this opportunity to tackle racism, rather than punish the victim of the abuse.”
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