Man Utd striker Romelu Lukaku has spoken out about the controversy sparked by the chant that the club’s supporters have made for him.
As reported by BBC Sport earlier this week, anti-discrimination group Kick It Out had labelled the chant “racist”, stating that the lyrics about the size of the 24-year-old’s penis was “offensive and discriminatory”.
That split opinion as some argued that it was merely a fun song, a personalised version of the Stone Roses hit Made of Stone, but others agreed that there were underlying elements to the chant that could cause offence.
In turn, the Belgian international has now broken his silence on the matter, with Man Utd sharing the tweet below. Lukaku has naturally thanked the club’s fans for their support, but has seemingly suggested that it’s the right move to move on and stop singing it.
Romelu: "Great backing since I joined #MUFC. Fans have meant well with their songs but let’s move on together. #RespectEachOther"
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 21, 2017
Here’s the chant in question below, decide for yourself in the controversy was warranted and whether or not it can be considered racist.
Lukaku has scored seven goals in seven appearances for United since his summer move from Everton, and based on that goalscoring form, it might not be long before he gets the supporters singing his name again and we’ll see if the chant still sticks despite the furore it has now caused.
Come on this is not racism!
Lukaku chant #mufc
— Football chat (@OnSideToday) September 19, 2017