Inter could still decide to appeal the suspension of striker Romelu Lukaku for the second leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal tie against Juventus on Tuesday, even if only as a “matter of principle.”

This according to today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper La Repubblica, via FCInterNews, who report that the Nerazzurri are seriously considering filing an appeal only in the case of the Belgian, to make a point about the circumstances surrounding his suspension.

The punishments for Inter and Juventus players and staff have been confirmed after the two sides’ recent Coppa Italia semifinal first leg match erupted into a chaotic brawl.

As expected, both Lukaku and Inter captain Samir Handanovic have received one-match suspensions that would see them miss the second leg of the tie, having both been sent off late in the match.

In both cases, the punishment is straightforward by the letter of the law.

The fact that Lukaku was given two yellow cards by referee Davide Massa leading to a one-match ban would normally be a subject of relatively little controversy, but the fact that the player’s second yellow came amid scandalous racist chanting from Bianconeri fans suggests otherwise.

It has been reported that the Nerazzurri do not plan to appeal the Belgian’s suspension, and that any such appeal would face an uphill battle.

This is particularly the case given that Referee-Designator Gianluca Rocchi reportedly back Massa’s decision and feels that the second yellow card to Lukaku was the right decision even despite the fact that it was conditioned by the mitigating circumstances of the racism that the striker was experiencing.

However, the racism scandal that has erupted has meant that there have been suggestions that in upholding the suspensions, the Italian football authorities are tacitly blaming the Belgian despite the fact that he was receiving despicable racist abuse.

The striker’s lawyer Sebastian Ledure argued that there must be a change to the rules in response to this incident, which ensure that circumstances involving fan racism are factored in to players’ punishments.

In any event, La Repubblica report that Inter have not entirely taken the possibility of appealing Lukaku’s suspension off the table.

The Nerazzurri would not appeal to Handanovic, or to Assistant Sporting Director Dario Baccin who attempted to come onto the pitch to confront Massa and was heard using insulting language towards the official.

However, the club could appeal Lukaku’s suspension to make the point that, unlike with all the other punishments handed out in the aftermath of Tuesday’s brawl, there was a larger issue at play that needs to be addressed.