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Inter Milan chairman defends fans over Romelu Lukaku racist abuse

Inter chairman defends fans over Lukaku racist abuse
© Reuters
Inter Milan chairman Stevan Zhang defends the club's ultras following a widely criticised response from supporters in reaction to Romelu Lukaku being racially abused.

Inter Milan chairman Steven Zhang has come out in defence of the widely criticised reaction from the club's ultras to Romelu Lukaku being racially abused.

The striker was taunted with monkey chants as he lined up to take a penalty during his debut against Cagliari last month.

Following Lukaku's call for something to be done, Inter's ultras responded by claiming that, in Italy, such chants do not constitute racial discrimination, but rather form part of an attempt to distract the player.

Speaking publicly on the issue, Zhang told the Daily Mail: "A lot of fans, when they did it, the intention was not bad."

Lukaku left Manchester United on deadline day to complete a £72m move to San Siro - a record sum for Inter - after falling out of favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Belgian, who silenced Cagliari fans by scoring the penalty, also netted during his home debut against Lecce last month.

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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Inter Milan32265177176083
2AC Milan32216563372669
3Juventus32189545242163
4Bologna321611545252059
5Roma31167856352155
6Atalanta BCAtalanta311561057362151
7Napoli321310950401049
8Lazio32154134135649
9Torino32111293129245
10Fiorentina31128114336744
11Monza321110113441-743
12Genoa32912113539-439
13Lecce32711142748-2132
14CagliariCagliari32710153454-2031
15Hellas VeronaHellas Verona32610163044-1428
16Udinese31416113047-1728
17Empoli3277182548-2328
18FrosinoneFrosinone3269174063-2327
19SassuoloSassuolo3268183962-2326
20Salernitana3229212668-4215


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