Lukaku says England should have walked off the pitch to ‘make a statement’ against racism

Romelu Lukaku feels England should have walked off the pitch “to make a statement” amid racist abuse in last week’s win in Montenegro.

The Euro 2020 qualifier in Podgorica saw some Three Lions players subjected to racist chanting by Montenegro fans.

Raheem Sterling reacted to scoring the visitors’ final goal in a 5-1 victory by putting his hands to his ears in front of home supporters as a sign of defiance to what he later called racists on social media.

Manchester United striker Lukaku told Sky Sports News: “England should have walked off I think, personally to make a statement.

“I have seen it happen in countries and then the team would get sentenced and stuff like that.

“For some players, it gives us an edge, but other players can overreact, then you make a foul and you are a man down.

“It’s something that us players have to stand up and talk about, so the people in top positions do something.

“It should be fixed and sorted because football is a multicultural game.

“We do a lot of stuff for a lot of people, so let’s not forget about the racism issue. I hope we can fix it. It’s going to take time.”

UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Montenegro, including a charge of racist behavior.