Racism, whether in society generally or in sports, is something that we see manifest over and over again despite the ending of the slave trade era and apartheid. The most recent manifestation of racism happened on the pitch recently during the Coppa Italia semi-final that pitted Inter Milan against Juventus. And the victim was no other than Inter’s Romelu Lukaku, a Belgian national.
Monkey calls directed at the Belgian had reportedly been made throughout the match. However, according to reports, it was particularly resonant after the striker scored a late penalty to bring the match to 1-1. He had reportedly made a “be quiet” hand gesture, which earned him a yellow card, and appeared to have ignited monkey calls from some Juventus stands, bringing the spectre of racism into play again.
Racist chants were made against Romelu Lukaku by certain Juventus fans.
(Via @linea_inter)pic.twitter.com/F5K6MSL9h8
— Get Italian Football News (@_GIFN) April 4, 2023
Reacting to the incident, Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation Sports International, which represents Lukaku, said it was beyond despicable and in no way acceptable.
The criticisms of the incident weren’t left to football executives, however, as social media denizens jumped into the fray as well, with some condemning the football authorities for not really doing anything about similar incidents.
If there is one thing the current incident has shown, it is that racism is still very much with us.
