Juventus coach Max Allegri feels that it has sent out an important message that the Bianconeri have acted as quickly as they have to identify fans responsible for racially abusing Inter striker Romelu Lukaku.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of tomorrow evening’s Serie A match against Lazio, as reported by FCInterNews, the coach noted the importance of signalling that there is zero tolerance from racism from fans following the scandalous incident on Tuesday.
Whilst there is a sense that the fallout from Tuesday’s shameful scenes which saw Inter striker Lukaku targeted with racist chants in a Coppa Italia match is far from over, the initial response has been swift.
It has been reported that Juventus have already identified two of the fans responsible for hurling racist abuse at the 29-year-old Beglian international, and that they have promptly been handed stadium bans.
Where things go from here remains to be seen as far as an institutional response, both from Juventus aimed at their own fans guilty of racist abuse, and from Italian football authorities more broadly.
However, the Bianconeri have at least acted fast to make clear that they do take the incident very seriously, and that the consequences for those fans found guilty of racist abuse are serious.
From the perspective of Juventus coach Allegri, “The most important thing is that Juventus sent out a message by taking just 24 hours to identify those responsible, Juventus condemns all forms of racism.”
The coach also spoke about the brawl which erupted at the end of Tuesday’s match, something which he sees as being highly regrettable.
“What happened in the locker room and on the pitch is always ugly to seem,” the coach said.
“There were even people who came onto the pitch from the directors’ area, which is never positive, as the directors are supposed to set an example, although there are layers to it,” he added.