Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has questioned the Italian Football Federation's decision to uphold Romelu Lukaku's ban despite the Chelsea loanee being the victim of racial abuse during Inter Milan's Coppa Italia semi-final clash against Juventus last week. The Belgian forward was subjected to racial abuse from a section of the Juventus support before, during and after he scored a late penalty, and was sent off for a second booking by the referee for his celebration following the incident.
Juventus have been given a partial stadium ban for their next home game in the Italian Cup after some of their supporters directed racist chants at Lukaku on Tuesday, April 4. Lukaku was given a second yellow card for 'provoking' Juve fans by holding his finger to his lips as if to silence the crowd after converting his stoppage-time penalty.
The Belgium international has now been suspended for the return leg in the Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday, April 26. Lukaku scored for Inter as the Italian side beat Benfica 2-0 in their Champions League quarter-final first-leg on Tuesday night and repeated the same celebration that he was booked for against Juve.
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Henry says he has 'had enough' of seeing the 'No To Racism' badges on team shirts as racial abuse incidents continue to happen throughout football, as he questioned the 'common sense' behind Lukaku's ban. Speaking to CBS Sports on Tuesday night, the Arsenal icon said when asked if it was a growing problem specifically in Italy: "It's [racial abuse] everywhere, it has been everywhere and it looks like it always will be.
"You can't say it was the whole stadium because it was not, but it still happens. I go back to common sense again - that [Lukaku receiving racial abuse and being booked for 'provoking' supporters] is not common sense.
"You can have common sense when the guy has been hearing that [racial abuse] and he shushes the crowd, and he receives a yellow because of that? I go back again and I hope we still have the referee there to talk to us about common sense and why common sense did not come into place there if he had a bit of empathy.
"If you don't know what empathy is, look it up in the dictionary to know what it means. If you see a guy getting abuse and he just stands in front of someone in a stoic manner, being cocky and arrogant. Yes. Shushing the crowd? Yes.
"He [Lukaku] did it again tonight. Did he get a yellow? Just because there were some people having a go at him...it's the same celebration.
"Yes, I know what it looks like but I would have done worse than him - if I'm getting abused on the field. I go back to common sense again, and, the Italian Football Federation keeps the yellow? And we're talking about common sense? Wow.
"I don't know why they kept the yellow. I suffered in Italy [with racial abuse], I suffered with it everywhere.
"Every time it was your reaction getting punished. This time, a section of the stadium will be sanctioned, but I've had enough.
"I've had enough of seeing the 'No To Racism' on the shirt. I've had enough of seeing that lousy picture at the start of the game when we all come together *leans with his arm around Alessandro Del Piero* and we focus on what is on the field.
"Can we focus on some other places and see what we can do properly about this? The guy, I go back to, got a yellow card for this. Please, let's stop."
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