Romelu Lukaku has again urged authorities to take action against racism after the Inter striker was targeted during his side’s 3-1 victory at Slavia Prague.
The 26-year-old was the subject of racist chanting at Sinobo Stadium on Wednesday night as he grabbed one goal and two assists in the Champions League.
He was also the victim of abuse in September when the Nerazzurri won 2-1 at Cagliari, with that incident seeing Lukaku make an urgent call to members of the footballing world.
Following the events in Sardinia, the former Manchester United forward addressed his fellow players, those in charge of social media websites, and the sport’s governing bodies, telling them they must unite to defeat racism in the game.
Lukaku has since issued a similar statement, saying after the win over Slavia (as quoted by ANSA): “I said this the last time I was with the Belgian national team – UEFA should do something to solve this problem because situations like this in a stadium are not right.
“During the match [against Slavia], it happened twice to me and it’s not okay. It’s 2019 – there are many players from various nationalities in the teams, and when people go to the stadium and behave wrongly in my view, they are a negative example for children.
“I hope UEFA now does something, because all the stadium behaved like this after Lautaro [Martinez]’s first goal, and that’s not good for the people watching the game.”
Lukaku’s comments within days of another high-profile incident in Italy, which saw Brescia star Mario Balotelli racially abused by the owner of the club, Massimo Cellino.
Victory handed Inter a much-needed lift as they look to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages. Antonio Conte’s recruits are currently level on points with Borussia Dortmund, with the Nerazzurri set to face Barcelona in their final group fixture.
For more from Ed Alexander, follow him on Twitter
Let’
