Credit: Photo by Icon sport
Inter striker Romelu Lukaku says the FIGC decision to overturn his Coppa Italia ban proves that there is a “will to fight racism”.
The Belgian striker will be available for the second leg of the Coppa Italia against Juventus next week after the FIGC decided to overturn a one-match ban. Lukaku was sent off in the first leg in Turin on April 4, receiving a second yellow card for a celebration considered provocative by the home crowd. However, the majority of the 5,000 Juventus fans at Curva Sud had targeted Lukaku with racist insults, so the Belgian striker responded with his usual goal celebration. Inter had appealed against the red card, but it was rejected earlier this week, causing outrage in Italy, especially since Juventus had won their appeal to open the Curva Sud against Napoli. With these two verdicts, Lukaku would have been the “only victim and guilty” as Inter underlined in an official statement on Friday. Lukaku has now broken his silence by issuing a brief statement to the Italian agency ANSA :
“I am really happy with this decision taken by the FIGC president who has shown great sensitivity. I believe that thanks to his intervention, justice has been done, giving a signal to the world of sport. It has been proven that there is a will to fight against racism,” he said.
Antoine Rabito
Italian soccer fan from France. Everyday, I read the italian newspapers looking for the best informations to share.