"History repeats itself" – PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe responds to Romelu Lukaku being racially abused by Juventus fans
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe has expressed his support for Romelu Lukaku after the latter suffered racist abuse in Inter Milan's Coppa Italia tie at Juventus on Tuesday (April 4).
The Nerazzurri came back from behind to register a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the cup semi-final at the Allianz Stadium. After Juan Cuadrado opened the scoring in the 83rd minute, Lukaku restored parity from the penalty spot five minutes into injury time of the contest.
However, the Belgian was sent off after he celebrated in front of the home faithful, who had been abusing him throughout the encounter. Subsequently, the cup clash descended into chaos as Cuadrado and Samir Handanovic were also shown a red card four minutes later.
Following the draw, Lukaku voiced his concerns on Instagram, writing:
"History repeats itself. Been through it in 2019... and 2023 again. I hope the league really take action for real this time because this beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone. F**k racism."
Mbappe shared his fellow striker's Instagram post on his story, writing:
"2023 and still the same problems. But we're not going to let you. All against racism."
Apart from the PSG star, notable players like Thibaut Courtois, Vinicius Jr., Reece James, Achraf Hakimi and Mario Balotelli also showed their support on Instagram. All commented in solidarity under Lukaku's post.
Lukaku, who joined Inter on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea last summer, is set to miss his team's Coppa Italia second-leg tie against Juventus on April 26. He has scored six goals and laid out one assist in 1020 minutes of action, spread across 21 appearances this season.
Inter Milan issue statement after Romelu Lukaku incident in clash against Juventus
Following Romelu Lukaku's sending off in their 1-1 draw at Juventus, Inter Milan released a statement condemning racism, elaborating:
"We are brothers and sisters of the world. Since 9 March 1908, this has been our story. We want to firmly reiterate that we stand united against racism and all forms of discrimination. Football and sport must not only be a place for emotion but also for clear and shared values, and what we saw last night in the final minutes of the Coppa Italia semi-final in Turin has no place in our sport."
The statement continued:
"This is why we reiterate our support, affection and solidarity to Romelu Lukaku, just as the world of football is doing from all over since the incident. Stay strong Rom, we stand with you!"