Romelu Lukaku: Ex-Man Utd striker demands action after facing racist monkey chants in Italy
Monkey chants could be heard in the crowd as the striker took a penalty while playing for new club Inter Milan against Cagliari.
Tuesday 3 September 2019 07:00, UK
Romelu Lukaku has demanded football's authorities and social media giants take action against racism after being subjected to abuse during a match in Italy.
The former Manchester United player was subjected to racist monkey chants while playing for his new club Inter Milan against Cagliari on Sunday.
Lukaku, 26, stood and stared at Cagliari fans behind the goal - where the chants had come from - after scoring the winning penalty in his team's 2-1 Serie A victory.
In a post on Instagram following the abuse, Lukaku highlighted that many players had been racially abused in the last month.
"Football is a game to be enjoyed by everyone we shouldn't accept any form of discrimination that will put our game in shame," he said.
"I hope the football federations all over the world react strongly on all cases of discrimination!!!"
Lukaku said social media platforms - including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - and football clubs "need to work better... because everyday you see at least a racist comment under a post of a person of colour... we've been saying it for years and still no action".
He added: "Ladies and gentleman, it's 2019 - instead of going forward, we're going backwards and I think as players we need to unify and make a statement on this matter to keep this game clean and enjoyable for everyone."
Following the game, Inter manager Antonio Conte admitted that "in general in Italy more education is needed" but said he "really didn't hear anything from the bench".
The former Chelsea head coach added: "I have also heard [Lazio manager] (Carlo) Ancelotti complain about the constant insults received on certain pitches. When you are abroad there is more respect, the fans think only of supporting their team."
Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi and the club's former striker Moise Kean, who now plays for Everton, were also subjected to racist chanting from Cagliari supporters last season.
The Italian league's disciplinary panel later decided not to take action against the club.
Lukaku - who joined Inter Milan from Manchester United this summer for £73m - is the latest in a series of high-profile players to be targeted this season.
Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma was subjected to racist abuse on Twitter after his own goal in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Sheffield United over the weekend.
Last month his teammate, striker Tammy Abraham, was targeted after missing a penalty In Chelsea's UEFA Super Cup defeat to Liverpool.
A number of Premier League and English Football League (EFL) players have had racist comments directed at them online since the 2019/20 campaign began, including Manchester United's Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford and Derby County's Duane Holmes.