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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 Milan29244171145776
2AC Milan29195555332262
3Juventus29178444232159
4Bologna29159542251754
5Roma29156855352051
6Atalanta BCAtalanta28145951321947
7Napoli29129844331145
8Fiorentina2812794132943
9Lazio29134123633343
10Monza2911993236-442
11Torino29101182826241
12Genoa29810113136-534
13Lecce29610132645-1928
14Udinese29415102844-1627
15Hellas VeronaHellas Verona2968152639-1326
16CagliariCagliari2968152950-2126
17Empoli2967162243-2125
18FrosinoneFrosinone2966173760-2324
19SassuoloSassuolo2965183356-2323
20Salernitana2928192359-3614


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