Slavia Prague Deny Romelu Lukaku's Racism Claims After Champions League Match
Slavia Prague have rejected Romelu Lukaku's accusation the crowd at the club's Sinobo Stadium racially abused him during their UEFA Champions League match against Inter Milan on Wednesday, demanding an apology from the Belgian striker.
Lukaku said he heard chants from the entire stadium after Lautaro Martinez scored in the 3-1 win. While the Czech club acknowledged it had apologised for the behavior of some "individuals," it argued Lukaku's wording was inaccurate:
Sport Witness questioned the club's claim they apologised in the aftermath of Lukaku's accusation:
Lukaku played a crucial role in the win, scoring once and assisting both of Martinez's goals. He showed off his tremendous footwork by the team's third and final goal (U.S. viewers only):
The win moved Inter into second place in Group F and knocked Slavia out of European contention. Slavia's last outing will be against Borussia Dortmund, who are vying with the Nerazzurri for second place in the group.
Lukaku has been the target of racist chants on several occasions this season, including in a Serie A match against Cagliari in September. A group of Inter fans came to the defence of the Calgiari fans in the aftermath, per Football Italia.
Per BBC Sport, Italian pundit Luciano Passirani was banned from appearing on the TV show Qui Studio a Voi Stadio in mid-September for saying opponents should give the 26-year-old "10 bananas to eat" in order to stop him.
Serie A committed to fighting racist abuse on Friday, publishing an open letter backed by all clubs:
Lukaku has found plenty of success early at Inter since completing his transfer this summer. In 13 Serie A matches, he has already found the net 10 times. His strike against Slavia was also the 250th senior goal of his career.
