Romelu Lukaku, the Inter Milan striker, has called for action to be taken by Serie A after being racially abused by Juventus fans during a Coppa Italia tie on Tuesday.

Lukaku received a second yellow card after he held his finger to his lips in front of the home fans after scoring a 95th-minute penalty. This incident occurred despite similar racial abuse Lukaku suffered in 2019.

Taking to Instagram, the Belgian footballer said: “History repeats itself… This beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone. I hope the league really take actions for real this time.”

Michael Yormark, president of Lukaku’s representatives Roc Nation Sports International, described the abuse as “beyond despicable”.

Juventus has promised to collaborate with the police to identify the individuals responsible for the abuse, while scuffles between players broke out after Lukaku’s equaliser, resulting in red cards for Inter captain Samir Handanovic and midfielder Juan Cuadrado.

Yormark expressed his disgust with the incident, saying: “Tonight’s racist remarks made towards Romelu Lukaku by Juventus fans in Turin were beyond despicable and cannot be accepted.”

It is imperative that Serie A takes swift and meaningful action to stamp out racism in football and ensure that players are not subjected to such abuse again in the future.