Zlatan Ibrahimovic DENIES his ‘do your voodoo s***’ insult to Romelu Lukaku was racist

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s ‘voodoo’ insult towards Inter Milan counterpart Romelu Lukaku was not racist but was instead a reference to Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri’s comments about the Belgian, according to AC Milan‘s representatives.

The striking duo – who were team-mates at Manchester United – clashed heads and engaged in a furious row in Tuesday’s Coppa Italia quarter-final at the San Siro, which Inter won 2-1 thanks to Christian Eriksen’s stoppage-time free-kick.

Both players had to be pulled apart towards the end of the first half and booked by referee Paolo Valeri, after which Ibrahimovic was heard yelling at Lukaku: ‘Go do your voodoo s***, you little donkey.’

And while many interpreted that as a racist slur, Sky Sport Italia claim they have spoken to Milan’s representatives who deny the Swede meant racist insult.

Instead, the 39-year-old insisted it was a reference to the 27-year-old turning down a new deal at Everton, with Moshiri saying at the time that the Belgian visited a witch doctor in Africa and consequently rejected the contract due to a ‘voodoo message’. 

‘We offered him a better deal than Chelsea and his agent came to Finch Farm to sign the contract,’ said Moshiri in January 2018, six months after Lukaku had departed for Manchester United.

‘Robert [Elstone, Everton’s chief executive] was there, everything was in place, there were a few reporters outside, then in the meeting Rom called his mother.

‘He said he was on a pilgrimage in Africa or somewhere and he had a voodoo and he got the message that he needs to go to Chelsea.’

Lukaku – who joined the Old Trafford side in a £75million deal in the summer of 2017 instead of the Blues – denied the story and threatened to sue Moshiri.

‘Romelu’s decision had nothing to do with voodoo. He distances himself from these beliefs and this statement and will now see what judicial steps can be taken in relation to them,’ a representative told BBC Sport.

‘Romelu is very Catholic and voodoo is not part of his life or his beliefs. He simply had no faith in Everton and no confidence in Mr Moshiri’s project. 

‘That is why he did not want to sign on any condition. He wanted to make the next step in his career and wanted the security to be able to leave.’

Ibrahimovic’s physical and verbal spat with Lukaku continued after the comment was made, with the Belgium international appearing to suggest taking the matter off the pitch, to which Ibrahimovic replied: ‘Okay, call your mother.’ 

That left the Belgian unimpressed and he duly responded, saying: ‘He wants to talk about mothers? Son of a b****.’ 

The tension was palpable upon the half-time whistle with a livid Lukaku trying to chase Ibrahimovic down the tunnel – appearing to insinuate that the 39-year-old had made a comment about his mother.

The 27-year-old could be heard telling the AC Milan striker ‘f*** you and your wife, you little b****’ and ‘you want to speak about my mother!?’ as his Inter team-mates had to hold him back.

Ibrahimovich opened the scoring for Milan on the night, but it was Lukaku who would have the last laugh, as Ibrahimovich was sent off 13 minutes after the break for a second bookable offence.

The Belgian then equalised from the spot before Eriksen’s last-gasp winner.