Rome (AFP)

"The most stupid one I've ever seen": Inter Milan footballers Romelu Lukaku and AS Roma Chris Smalling lashed out Thursday at Corriere dello Sport, where they appear with the title "Black Friday ".

The two Italian Serie A clubs have described the title of the sports daily as "terrible" and "unacceptable", which has chosen the former Manchester United alumni to illustrate the match scheduled for Friday between Inter and Roma.

Beyond the one, defended by the newspaper, the article says that the Belgian and the English, "who have learned to respect each other, have taken strong positions to denounce racism and have become symbols of their two clubs. ".

But one has suffered many criticisms, in a country where racism in football is a recurring problem. The players concerned both reacted with a text lesson published on Twitter.

"Instead of focusing on a battle between two teams, the Corriere dello Sport is one of the most stupid I've ever seen in my career," Romelu Lukaku condemned, saying the newspaper contributes to "fueling negativity and racism instead of talking about the beautiful game that will be played at San Siro (the stadium of Milan, Ed) between two big clubs ".

Smalling regretted a "bad" and "insensitive" event. "I hope the editors involved in the publication of this title will take their responsibilities and understand the power they have through words and the impact these words can have," he continued.

- "As an Italian, I am ashamed" -

"As an Italian, I am ashamed," said Lukaku's agent, Federico Pastorello, on Sky Sport News, saying that, more generally, "racism is a big problem, a problem cultural".

In Italy, many black players such as Lukaku, Italy's Mario Balotelli, France's Blaise Matuidi, Ivorian Franck Kessie and Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly have been regularly targeted for insults and racist screams this season.

The question for Pastorello, "it's not just the title of a newspaper, it's what you breathe in stadiums, on social networks, in the streets." "All institutions need to take the issue seriously," he said, saying it is now the case in the Italian league and the Champions League.

The officer applauded Lukaku's attitude, which "faces the problem every time with strength and power, he is certainly not happy, but he is strong enough to face it."

- The Corriere forbids training -

Inter Milan judged "such ignorance of racism" totally unacceptable. "We will not remain silent on this subject, (...) superficiality and ignorance on the issue of racism are no longer tolerable", criticized the club, before adding: "football is passion, culture and We are and will always be against any form of discrimination ".

According to AS Roma, "nobody in the world" could think that such a title was well chosen, the club said on Twitter, who decided to close his training at the Corriere dello Sport, just like AC Milan, the Another Lombard club, rival of Inter.

Asked by AFP, AS Roma strategy chief Paul Rogers said the title was "terrible" although the article was very "positive".

"Unfortunately, as we see on social networks, many people will see and judge only the title of the first page and this will create new problems even as we try to fight against racism in Italian football," said Paul Rogers.

The Corriere dello Sport defended its titraille in an editorial broadcast on its website assuring that it was "a eulogy of difference, the pride of difference and the magnificent wealth of difference".

"An innocent title (...) is transformed into poison by those who have poison inside," wrote the director of the daily, Ivan Zazzaroni.

© 2019 AFP