Juventus has said it will “take all necessary measures” after Weston McKennie confirmed he was racially abused by Lazio fans during Tuesday’s Coppa Italia match.
Video emerged on social media showing the American midfielder being targeted as he walked on the side of the pitch following his late substitution in a 2-0 Juventus win.
On Thursday, Juventus released a statement saying McKennie confirmed he had been subject to discriminatory chants from visiting Lazio fans at Allianz Stadium.
“Juventus Football Club takes note of the video circulated on social networks and reported by some media from which the intonation of discriminatory chants emerged coming from the visiting section, and directed at Weston McKennie during his substitution in the Juventus-Lazio semifinal first leg of the Italian Cup, played on April 2,” the statement said.
“Following confirmation of the incident by the player, the club communicates that it has activated all procedures aimed at verifying what happened and will fully cooperate in order to identify the persons responsible and, consequently, take all necessary measures in this regard.”
McKennie assisted Dušan Vlahović during the semifinal first leg, as Juve took a major step toward next month’s final.
The incident involving McKennie is far from the first time Lazio fans have been accused of racism recently. The club was hit with a partial stadium ban in January for racist chants toward Roma’s Romelu Lukaku, while fans brought Lecce’s Samuel Umtiti to tears early last year.
The club also has a recent history of run-ins with USMNT players, as its fans targeted Christian Pulisic with death threats last month after a game in which the American drew red cards from two Lazio players.
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