Bologna Fans Deny Aiming Racist Chants at Juventus Forward Moise Kean

Bologna fans have denied accusations they racially abused Juventus striker Moise Kean during Saturday's Coppa Italia match, stating they instead made "boo" noises to the opposition and their fans.

As reported by Football Italia, the Bologna ultras released a statement demanding an immediate retraction of the accusations: "With reference to the media coverage of supposed racist chants towards Kean, the Centro Bologna Club demands an immediate retraction. The accusation is unfounded, as the 'boo' noises were simply jeers towards the opposition team and their supporters."

Per the report, Gazzetta dello Sport also suggested the jeers heard were "boo" noises rather than monkey chants. Others disagreed, however, including Tuttosport:

The 18-year-old Kean―who has represented Italy in every age group between the under-15 and senior side and has Ivorian parents―made his first senior start for the Serie A giants in the 2-0 win.

The youngster had a fine outing and doubled the Bianconeri lead in the second half, pouncing on a rebound. It was a well-taken goal and his second ever against Bologna, having opened his account as a professional at the same ground:

Fans were happy for the teen, especially given the abuse they believed they heard earlier in the match. Sportswriter Adam Digby was among them:

The accusations came just weeks after Inter Milan were hit with a stadium ban following allegations of racist abuse aimed at Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, per Football Italia.

Many leading figures in Italian football condemned the abuse following the incident, including Kean's team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo:

Juventus themselves have also been sanctioned for racially abusing Koulibaly this season, receiving a stadium ban in October, per Goal's Taiye Taiwo.