Police ban 171 Juve fans from stadium for Lukaku racist chants

Turin police announced on Monday that they had imposed fines on 171 Juventus supporters and prohibited them from entering their stadium after they directed racist chants towards Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku.

In the first leg of the Italian Cup semi-final between Juve and Inter Milan on April 4, Lukaku experienced monkey chants from certain Juventus fans, which his representatives denounced as "hostile and disgusting racist abuse".

The Turin police acknowledged the presence of "racist chants" during the semi-final but did not specify the amount of the fines or the duration of the stadium ban in their concise statement.

After the match, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) punished Juventus with a one-match stadium closure due to racist chants from "the majority of fans" in that section, but the decision was reversed upon appeal.

Following Lukaku's stoppage-time penalty that secured Inter a 1-1 draw against Juventus, he received two yellow cards, with the second attributed to his goal celebration in front of Juventus fans, leading to his suspension for one match.

The striker from Belgium raised his finger to his lips and gestured to the fans of Juve to "be quiet".

Despite a strong reaction, Lukaku's suspension was lifted by the FIGC, enabling him to participate in the second leg of the semi-final in Milan on Wednesday.