Lukaku apologises for remarks

Romelu Lukaku has apologised if anyone was
offended by his comments regarding the furore
caused by Nicolas Anelka's in-famous 'quenelle'
gesture.
Anelka has been charged by the FA following
complaints that his goal-celebration at Upton Park
in December had been anti-Semitic.
Lukaku, who is currently on loan at Everton, said
in a video interview on the club website that the
public reaction to the West Brom forward's
controversial gesture had been 'over the top.'
But now, the 20-year-old Belgium striker has
back-tracked saying in a statement: "I want to
make clear that I was supporting a friend and
player I have admired since I was a child.
"I apologise if I caused any offence with my
comments as this was never my intention.
"There has been a misunderstanding and I want
to clarify that I was in no way endorsing the
gesture made by Nicolas."
And Lukaku's manager at Goodison Park, Roberto
Martinez, has leapt to his player's defence,
adding: "Romelu wanted to support a team-mate
or an ex-team-mate, but obviously he
understands there's been a big misunderstanding.
"He never supported any conflicting views that
could be disrespectful to anyone. That's not the
type of person he is."
Lukaku, whose parent club is Chelsea, is an
ambassador for Kick It Out, the organisation set
up in the 1990s to rid racism and discrimination
from football.
A statement on their website reads: "Kick It Out
has sought clarity from Romelu Lukaku on
comments made to Sky Sports about Nicolas
Anelka and the FA investigation into the 'quenelle'
gesture.
"Romelu has clearly stated that he had no
intention to support the gesture made by Anelka.
"The campaign continues to work with Romelu as
a 'Next 20' ambassador and will look to guide
him, in partnership with community organisations,
on the sensitivity of issues covering all forms of
discrimination moving forward."