The federation have to protect the players from racism- Eden Dzeko

Published at :September 16, 2019 at 2:02 PM

Modified at :September 16, 2019 at 2:02 PM

The AS Roma striker voiced his opinion on the rising incidents of racism in Italy.

Racism has plagued the spirit of football with ever-growing incidents of abusing players in Italy by the fans. Last month, Inter's Romelu Lukaku was racially targeted for scoring a penalty against Cagliari when the crowd hurled racial chants.

These cases are not new in Serie A. Earlier this year, current Everton striker Moise Kean faced similar chants when he played against Cagliari for his former club Juventus. The slurs were also directed at Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly last season from Inter supporters during a Boxing Day match.

Talking about the issue, AS Roma forward voiced his opinion that 'racism in Italian football is more prevalent' than he presumed earlier.

"I think (racism) is a bigger problem than, maybe, in other countries, especially in England," Dzeko told Sky Sports News.

"But hopefully, for the good of the other players, these things have to stop and hopefully the federation can see this as well and try to stop it in any way possible."

Italian pundit Luciano Passirani after praising Romelu Lukaku: “the only way to push him down to the floor is to throw 10 bananas at him.” The problem runs so deep in Italian football. pic.twitter.com/6e6v1Nc0J3
— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) September 16, 2019

"I don't know what to say about that. Even today, those things happening which is definitely not a great thing," he added.

"I know, when I was playing in England, it is much improved. There is always less and less racism there."

"But I think in Italy, it's much more than expected. I think, also, it has to come from the federation, they have to protect the players. That's the only way."

"If you hear someone, you just ban him from the stadium. They cannot come anymore. We don't those racist people at the stadiums."

Inter Milan ultras have wrote this open letter to Romelu Lukaku after he was racially abused by Cagliari fans last weekend. And before you ask, yes it’s real. ????Absolutely shocking that even his own fans would say this. ???? pic.twitter.com/gpo0LBgqBq
— Football Tweet (@Football__Tweet) September 4, 2019

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

After the Cagliari issue, the Inter Milan fan group voiced their opinion that the Racism in Serie A is a sign of support for their own. It is a way to boost morale by insulting the opposition.