Lukaku cleared after dramatic FIGC U-turn
Romelu Lukaku was cleared to face Juventus in the second leg of Inter Milan's Coppa Italia semi-final as Italian football chiefs rescinded the red card he received for standing up to racists.
An intervention from the president of the Italian FA (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, brought about the cancellation of Lukaku's second yellow card in the first leg of the Juventus tie.
That was despite the FIGC announcing the ban would stand 24 hours earlier, which was followed by an outraged response from Inter and many others in the football community around the world.
Inter reacted with dismay and "great sorrow" to the original ruling, saying it appeared Lukaku had been judged "the only guilty party" despite being the victim.
Gravina's decision to subsequently quash the verdict was warmly welcomed by Lukaku, who said in a statement on Inter's website: "I am really happy about this decision from the president of the FIGC, who has shown great sensitivity to the situation.
"I believe that thanks to his intervention, justice has been done and this sends out a great message to the whole world of sport and beyond. This has shown that the desire is there to fight racism."
The initial decision to uphold the red card and suspension had all the attributes of an embarrassing own goal for the FIGC amid efforts to show it takes racism seriously.
The latest decision from the FIGC was announced in a statement to Italian media, which announced Lukaku had been pardoned "in an exceptional and extraordinary way".
The FIGC statement added: "The principle of the fight against all forms of racism is a fundamental element of the sports system."
Belgian striker Lukaku converted a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage-time to earn Inter a 1-1 draw in the semi-final first leg on 5 April (AEST) at Allianz Stadium.
He then used his finger to shush the home fans' vitriol and that reaction was deemed a bookable offence by referee Davide Massa. Lukaku had already been booked for a foul in the 80th minute, so the second yellow card saw him dismissed.
The Inter frontman, who is on loan from Chelsea, subsequently demanded action from Italian authorities after the latest case of him being targeted for abuse, while team-mate Edin Dzeko described the treatment from the Juventus fans as something "that should never happen".
A partial stadium closure was initially imposed on Juventus as a result of Lukaku being targeted, with the section from where the abuse came ordered to be shut for one game, but that decision was overturned, without an explanation being offered.
The second leg will take place on Thursday (AEST) at San Siro, and Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi will be relieved to have Lukaku available.
