*The images of the first duel of the Italian Cup semifinal
The first semifinal that Juventus and Inter played in Turin ended in a scandal. the goals of John William Square and Romelu Lukaku they were forgotten when the protagonists improvised a generalized chaos that led to attacks, insults, accusations and threats. The referee Davide Massa decided to expel the Belgian striker, the Colombian midfielder and the goalkeeper Samir Handanovicwho will not be able to dispute the rematch in Milan.
It all started when supporters of the Vecchia Signora They dedicated racist songs to the striker with a past in the Chelsea and the international figure responded with his penalty goal that sealed the tie and put his index finger to his mouth to silence the local side. “History repeats itself. It happened to me in 2019 and now again in 2023. I hope the league takes serious action this time, because this wonderful sport should be enjoyed by all. Thanks for the messages of support. fuck racism”, Lukaku wrote on his social networks after the episode.
In this context, the Juventus will have to play their next home game in the Italian Cup with their stadium partially closed, due to the racist chants that some of his fans directed against the Inter striker. The Belgian was booked with a second yellow card for provoking the fans of the Juve. The gesture made the rival team react and the game ended with a struggle between the protagonists. Even an image that was revealed in the last hours showed the fight that they improvised John William Square and Samir Handanovic.
The Colombian received a three-game suspension, while the goalkeeper was sanctioned with one match. And both must pay an economic fine of €10,000 ($11,000).
For its part, a sector of the south stand of the stadium Allianz Stadium will be closed when the Juventus played his first game at home in the next edition of the Italian Cup. The Turin entity said that it will collaborate with the authorities to identify those responsible who were in the stands, while the agency representing lukaku reacted indignantly at the booking she received during the match. “The Italian authorities should take this opportunity to go head-on against racism, instead of punishing the victim of abuse”, said the president of Roc Nation Sports International, michael yormark.
lukaku has been the focus of racist chants on multiple occasions during its two stages with the Inter. The recent incident is the latest in a surge in racism in European football, after a lull during the pandemic. Also on Thursday, the defender from Leipzig Benjamin Henrichs published the hate messages, including racist insults that he received in instagram after his team’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup.
Meanwhile, the lazio received this week ato suspended sentence of a partial closure of his stadium, after some of his fans sang anti-Semitic songs towards Roma during the Derby capital that was played last month. In this sense, the A series ordered the closure of the north curvethe northern end of Olympic Stadiumwhere the ultras are concentrated.
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