One of the hosts from Juventus official Twitch channel believes it’s possible that Inter Milan fans disguised as Juve fans could’ve hurled racist abuse against Lukaku to ‘provoke’ and ‘put some dirt’.
This shocking claim comes after the racism scandal that has rocked Italian football to its core, after Juventus fans hurled racist chants at Inter striker Romelu Lukaku, in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal.
The Juventus Twitch channel host, Giuseppe Bognanni, who was present at Allianz Stadium in Turin for the game, claimed on his own YouTube channel that from where he was seated, he saw many people wearing Inter shirts.
This fact, he continued, would suggest that there is a possibility that fans of other clubs could attend a Juventus home game but wearing a Juve shirt, and make racist chants to ‘provoke’ and ‘put some dirt’ on the Bianconeri.
Bognanni acknowledges that this idea is a bit far-fetched but it is a possibility this could happen and lead to the media claiming that the entire Juventus Ultras fan section of the stadium, as well as all Juventus fans, are racist.
Bognanni continued that there were Juventus fans present at the game that made racist chants towards Romelu Lukaku, adding these chants are ‘unacceptable’, but that at most this was 10 people.
I was at the stadium. Reports speaking about majority are incorrect. Punish and ban who did it (Juve did and will continue to do so, correctly). 100 people? 150? Ban for life. But 100/5000 is not the majority.
— (@GJustjuve) April 6, 2023
“Let’s speak with facts. Were there racist chants? Yes. They were. They were recorded, they were on tape, we saw them. Were there racist behavior? Yes they were.
“They were from Juventini? Yes I believe, but attenzione. I’m saying yes I believe. Why? Because there are some dangers.
“Yesterday in the stadium, I promise you, you have the visitors section, where you have only Inter fans, only away fans that are allowed.
“But in our part, so that means 90% of the stadium, I saw a lot of Inter people. So people who were with shirts of Inter. Fantastic people. No problem.
“Behind me there were two Interisti and when my son jumped in the air when Cuadrado scored, he was over-exaggerating celebrating which made me proud because I said ‘mamma Mia my son he’s like me, maybe even crazier as me, made me really proud to see my son like that. As my father is, you see it’s generational thing, it’s a DNA thing.
“Well, the Inter people they were laughing, not mocking, laughing.
“So I have no problem, so what does that mean? That anybody can buy a ticket and put a Juve shirt on and starting to do racist chants.
“Attenzione, attenzione. Can happen, can happen, that anybody, an Inter fan, buys a Juve shirt, goes there and he starting to provoke.
“Why? To put some dirt. It’s a bit far but it can happen, so that’s why I’m saying Juventini [makes air quotes] question mark.
“But let’s say Juventini, well this 10 people, the media use them as scapegoats to speak about Juventus fans, to speak about the entire Curva, to speak about the entire Juve people, to give the name of Juve being a racist club.
“So facts: yes there were some Juventini, let’s say Juventini, that were indeed doing these unacceptable things. But there are other facts.
“Not all of them, I didn’t hear any chants, there were, but I didn’t even hear so if it really was all of the Curva I would have heard them.”
The quotes above start at 20.13 in the video below.
Italian FA Issues Damning Report
However, yesterday, an official report by the Italian FA’s (the FIGC) three representatives who were present at the stadium for the game, provide a completely different account of what transpired.
According to this report, a majority of the 5034 fans present in the first tier of the Tribuna Sud section of the Allianz Stadium behind the Juventus goal made “monkey” chants towards Romelu Lukaku.
This began shortly after Lukaku’s foul on Juventus defender Gatti, and these were heard clearly by the investigators present.
Furthermore, reports in Italy state that so far, Juventus have identified and handed out bans to two fans for hurling racist abuse at Romelu Lukaku.
A lifetime ban has been handed to a 29-year old fan, while the other fan, a minor, was given a shorter 10 year ban.
At the time of publication, no report has emerged that these two or any other fans engaging in racist abuse, were Inter fans disguised as Juventus fans.
The identities of both fans have been handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
These official reports stand in stark contrast to these unsubstantiated claims made by Bognanni as to what transpired on Tuesday night at the Allianz Stadium.
SempreInter.com have been unable to get in touch with Juventus to verify if there is any evidence to back up these shocking claims by Bognanni.
Football Reacts To Racist Abuse Against Lukaku
After the racist abuse suffered by Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian player’s agency, Roc Nation, published an open letter in yesterday’s paper edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, demanding action and that “enough is enough.”
Football social justice organization Common Goal aimed severe criticism against referee Davide Massa’s decision to show Romelu Lukaku a second yellow card for shushing the fans hurling racist abuse at him.
Many high profile former and current players from Kylian Mbappe to Didier Drogba and Marco Materazzi have all expressed their support to Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku himself has come out demanding more action this time from the Italian football authorities after suffering same treatment back in 2019 at the hands of Cagliari fans.
Back then Inter’s Ultras Curva Nord backed their Cagliari counterparts against Lukaku, claiming the monkey chants weren’t ‘real racism’ in a bizarre open letter to the Belgian striker.
So far the Curva Nord are yet to make a statement on the matter.
