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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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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Atalanta BCAtalanta16121339172237
2Napoli16112324111335
3Inter Milan1494134151931
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5Lazio15101430171331
6Juventus16610026121428
7AC Milan146442416822
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10Empoli164751416-219
11Torino165471720-319
12Roma154471821-316
13Parma153662125-415
14Genoa153661324-1115
15CagliariCagliari163581526-1114
16Lecce15348826-1813
17Como152671628-1212
18Hellas VeronaHellas Verona1540111837-1912
19Monza151771319-610
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