(Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP)
Turin police have fined 171 Juventus fans and banned them from their stadium after racist chants were directed at Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku during the Italian Cup semi-final between the two teams on April 4. Representatives for Lukaku called the chants "hostile and disgusting racist abuse". The police cited "racist chants" in a brief statement announcing the fines, but did not provide details of the penalties or the duration of the stadium ban.
Following the match, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) closed Juventus' stadium for one game due to racist chants from "the majority of fans" in the section where the chanting took place. However, the ban was overturned on appeal.
Lukaku was suspended for one game for receiving two yellow cards, the second for his goal celebration in front of Juventus fans after scoring a stoppage-time penalty that secured a 1-1 draw for Inter. He held his finger to his lips and told the Juve supporters to "shut up". The suspension was later lifted by the FIGC following public outrage, allowing Lukaku to play in the second leg of the semi-final in Milan on Wednesday.
