Romelu Lukaku says ‘justice has been done’ after his Coppa Italia suspension was overturned by the President of the FIGC. The striker was sent off in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals for celebrating his equalising goal in front of the Juventus curva Sud, from where racist abuse had been directed at the player. Inter appealed the suspension, but the decision was upheld by the court of appeal earlier this week.
News broke yesterday that the president of the Italian football federation, Gabriele Gravina, had intervened to remove the suspension, meaning Lukaku would be free to feature in the second-leg at San Siro. Of the decision, Gravina said:
There are serious reasons to exceptionally and extraordinarily grant a pardon. The principle of combating all forms of racism is a founding element of the sports system. Given that it has emerged unequivocally from the report of the federal prosecutor’s office that the aforementioned footballer was made the object, on several occasions, of serious, repeated and deplorable manifestations of hatred and racial discrimination such as to be able to justify formally non-regulatory behavior and as such evaluated by the match director.”
Inter have now shared a response from Lukaku on the decision, where he expresses his gratitude for the right decision being made:
“I am really happy about this decision by the president of the FIGC, who has shown great sensitivity. I believe that thanks to his intervention, justice has been done and a great signal has been given to the whole world of sports and beyond. It has been shown that there is a will to fight racism.”
