Thierry Henry and Micah Richards demand change after Romelu Lukaku racism incident
Thierry Henry has expressed his frustration at “lousy” anti-racism gestures from football authorities and demanded real action after Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku was punished for gagging fans who had abused him.
The Arsenal legend criticized the lack of ‘common sense’ in showing Lukaku a second yellow card after he stood up to Juventus fans who made monkey chants after scoring a penalty against them in last week’s Coppa Italia match .
Italian football authorities subsequently upheld the Belgian striker’s one match suspension, despite the context of his celebration.
It came as Micah Richards, who sat alongside Henry on CBS Golazo’s Champions League coverage, said it was ‘humiliating’ that black players are asked not to react in such a situation.
Lukaku was again on target from the penalty spot as Inter beat Benfica 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.
Romelu Lukaku was on the receiving end of racist slurs from Juventus supporters and responded by celebrating his finger-to-the-lips after scoring a penalty
He marked the goal with his usual finger-to-lip salute and celebration, with a very different context to the Juventus match, when referee Davide Massa penalized him for inciting the crowd.
“You need common sense for what the man heard, he silences the crowd and it is yellow. Really, because of that?’ said Hendrik.
“Why didn’t common sense come into play here and why not a little empathy? If you don’t know what empathy means, look it up in the dictionary.
“When you see someone being mistreated and he stands stoically in front of the crowd. If he is stubborn and arrogant, yes [he deserves to be punished].
‘He did it tonight. Did he get yellow? Simply because there was no mob – or some people – to stand up to him. It’s the same party.
“I would have done worse than him if I was yelled at on the field. I go back to common sense and the Italian Federation keeps the yellow? Wow.’
Former France striker Henry said UEFA initiatives such as the ‘No to Racism’ patches on shirt sleeves and joint team photos before matches were to no avail.
“I’m tired of looking at ‘No to racism’ on shirts. I’m tired of that crappy image at the start of the game when we all come and focus on what’s on the pitch,” he added.
Thierry Henry expressed frustration at inadequate anti-racism gestures, such as sleeve badges and joint team photos, while demanding real change
Micah Richards said it was “demeaning” that black players are being asked not to respond to racial slurs
‘Can we concentrate on other places and see what we can do well here?
“I’ve had enough, stop showing the field every time, talk about equality and being diverse, because when you turn the camera to the field on the other side, it’s a different game.”
Sportsmail columnist Richards was asked how he felt about black players being told not to respond to racial slurs in case they further incited the public.
Lukaku once again performed the ‘shush’ celebration after his goal against Benfica
He said, ‘It’s humiliating, isn’t it? He celebrated a goal as he does every week, he has been racially abused in the audience.
“The referee could have resolved that situation [better] – how can he give someone a yellow card?
“He clearly heard what was happening in the crowd and also sent him away. This to me is what I don’t understand.
“Then for the Italian Football Federation to uphold the yellow card as well – what kind of message does that send? It’s almost like they approve of the situation, it’s like since it won’t happen to me I’ll pass it on.
“That the mob is only banned for a week—what kind of message does that send?
“I’m sick and tired, honest to God. You go through this nonsense all your life and always have to talk about it, but until real change is made, we will talk about the same things over and over again. It is tiring.
“We come to play football and enjoy ourselves, but we have to deal with this all the time.
“Thierry talks about something he had 20 years ago, but what happened, they get a slap on the wrist and think ‘we can do that’. It will only change if something really changes.’
Juventus were penalized with a partial stadium closure for one match after their fans racially insulted Lukaku.
Juventus fans heard monkey noises as Romelu Lukaku took his penalty kick
However, Lukaku could be seen muttering something in the direction of the Juventus supporters
Lukaku was then shown a second yellow card by referee Davide Massa for his celebration
After the sending off of Lukaku, a scuffle broke out between both sets of players, with Inter captain Samir Handanovic and Juventus midfielder Juan Cuadrado also being sent off after the final whistle.
Lukaku has spoken out against racism on numerous occasions in the past, calling on Serie A to “take real action this time” following the latest incident.
On Thursday, Serie A ruled that the Tribuna Sud section of Juventus’ Allianz Stadium, which has a capacity of around 5,000, must be closed for one match against league leaders Napoli on April 23.