Inter Milan CEO to propose VAR changes after Lukaku racism scandal
Inter CEO Beppe Marotta is set to propose changes that would allow VAR to intervene in racism incidents during matches in Italian football.
This according to Italian news outlet
Repubblica.it, who report that the Nerazzurri CEO will propose these changes at the next meeting of the FIGC (Italian FA) council.
As things stand, the only time when a referee will stop a match due to racist chants from fans in the stands is if the referee himself actually notices them or is made aware of them.
At present, there is no protocol in place for the VAR to bring racial abuse within the stadium to the attention of the official.
This became a problem in Tuesday evening’s match between Inter and Juventus in the Coppa Italia semifinals, as the
FIGC’s report has stated that there were in fact ongoing “monkey” chants for several minutes aimed at Nerazzurri striker Romelu Lukaku.
Moreover, it was evident that Lukaku had
noticed the chants for some time before his late goal from the penalty spot and celebration “silencing” the Bianconeri supporters who were hurling racist chants at him, and that he was upset at what he heard.
Had referee Davide Massa been aware of the chants, he would have been obliged to stop the match.
However, the official evidently did not realize that the chants were happening, as his focus was on the match on the pitch.
Eventually, Massa would send Lukaku off following a goal celebration that was deemed to have been inciting the crowd, but this would never have happened had the referee been alerted to the racist chants earlier.
Accordingly, La Repubblica reports, Inter CEO Marotta is prepared to propose a change to the way that things are done.
The Nerazzurri CEO will propose a change that allows the referee to be notified of any incidents of racism within the stadium on a headset, so that the response can be more prompt and reliable.