AC Milan Star Zlatan Ibrahimovic 'Faces Potential 10-Game Ban' After Heated Incident With Romelu Lukaku

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic could face a severe 10-match ban if he is found guilty of racially abusing Romelu Lukaku, according to stunning reports in Italy.

Former Manchester United teammates Ibrahimovic and Lukaku were involved in a heated war of words in Inter Milan's 2-1 win in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday.

Ibrahimovic was accused of calling the Inter Milan striker a "donkey" and allegedly telling him to do his "voodoo s**t."

Lukaku, on the other hand, fired back expletive responses towards the 39-year-old Swedish star and apparently branded Ibrahimovic a "son of a b***h."

Both Ibrahimovic and Lukaku have already been hit with one-match bans after the Milan derby at the San Siro.

However, Ibrahimovic could potentially face an even lengthier ban as the Italian Football Federation is investigating the language used in the incident.

According to Football Italia, the Federcalcio will review video footage from the incident and will also consult the referee's report in their investigation.

Italian newspaper La Stampa added that should Ibrahimovic be found guilty of racism, then the former Paris Saint-Germain star could be slapped with a ban for up to 10 matches.

According to reports in Italy, the referee's report from the match did not include the alleged "voodoo" comment.

However, the Italian Football Federation still plans to investigate the use of the comment and to determine the intent behind it as well.

Federcalcio president Gabriele Gravina said in a statement: "From a regulatory point of view, the referee highlighted what he saw on the pitch, now the prosecutor will acquire the report to understand what the disqualifications refer to.

"If no indications related to specific facts emerge, the prosecutor will adopt the measures he deems appropriate."

Ibrahimovic, who returned to Milan for his second spell in 2020, staunchly denied on Twitter that he directed any kind of racial attack towards Lukaku.

United superstar Paul Pogba also took to social media to defend his former Red Devils teammate, saying Ibrahimovic is the "last person I'd think of as racist."

Lukaku cancelled out Ibrahimovic's opener when he scored from the spot-kick before Christian Eriksen sealed a 2-1 win for Inter in the quarter-finals.

Inter will now face defending Serie A champions Juventus in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia next month.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Serie A, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku, AC Milan, Inter Milan

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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