Recently, Italian soccer club Juventus has been penalized with a partial stadium ban for the racism directed at Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku. This incident occurred during a Serie A match between the two teams on September 2nd, 2019.
The incident began when a group of Juventus fans started to chant racist slurs at Lukaku, who is of Congolese descent. This was followed by a banner being displayed in the stands with a message that read “Lukaku, you are an ape”.
In response to this incident, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has issued a partial stadium ban for Juventus. The ban will be in effect for one match, which means that the club will not be able to sell tickets to their fans for the upcoming match against Napoli. Additionally, the club has been fined €20,000 and ordered to close a section of their stadium for one match.
This is not the first time that Juventus has been penalized for racism. In 2017, the club was fined €20,000 for racist chants directed at Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly. In 2018, the club was fined €50,000 for racist chants directed at Sassuolo’s Claud Adjapong.
This latest incident serves as a reminder that racism is still a problem in soccer and that it needs to be addressed. It is encouraging to see that the FIGC is taking steps to punish clubs for these incidents, but more needs to be done to ensure that racism is not tolerated in soccer.
In addition to issuing fines and stadium bans, clubs need to take proactive steps to educate their fans about racism and its consequences. They should also work with local authorities to ensure that any incidents of racism are reported and dealt with swiftly and appropriately.
It is also important that players, coaches, and referees speak out against racism whenever they witness it. By doing so, they can send a strong message that racism will not be tolerated in soccer and that it has no place in the sport.
Ultimately, it is up to everyone involved in soccer to stand up against racism and ensure that it is not tolerated in any form. By taking a stand against racism, we can help create a more inclusive and welcoming environment in soccer for everyone.
