Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku have condemned Corriere dello Sport’s widely-criticised “Black Friday” headline on Thursday’s front page. The Italian newspaper ran the headline above a story featuring the former Manchester United players whose teams face each other in Serie A on Friday. Roma’s Smalling said the front page was “wrong and highly insensitive” while Internazionale’s Lukaku said the paper was “fuelling negativity and racism”.

“Whilst I would have liked to spend the day focusing on the big game tomorrow, it is important that I acknowledge that what occurred this morning was wrong and highly insensitive,” said Smalling in a statement on Twitter.

“I hope the editors involved in running this headline take responsibility and understand the power they possess through words, and the impact those words can have.”

Smalling also thanked Roma for their support. The club had earlier on Thursday tweeted their disgust of the front page.

Lukaku also made a statement on Twitter. “Instead of focusing on a battle between two teams Corriere dello Sport comes with the most dumbest of headlines I have ever seen in my career,” he said. “You guys keep fuelling the negativity and the racism issue instead of talking about the beautiful game that’s going to be played at San Siro between two great clubs. Education is key. You guys of Corriere dello Sport should do a better job at that.”

Inter did not reference the newspaper article but tweeted: “Football is passion, culture and brotherhood. We are and will always be against all forms of discrimination.”

The paper rejected strongly accusations of racism, on Twitter labelling its treatment by accusers as a “lynching” and in Friday’s edition defending its long-held stance against discrimination.

footballitalia (@footballitalia) Corriere dello Sport front page on Friday: "Who are you calling racist? Lynching of a newspaper that for a Century has defended liberty and equality."



Because when accused of racism, you use word 'lynching'https://t.co/j1vt5qx5Da #KickItOut #NoToRacism #SerieA #FCIM #ASRoma pic.twitter.com/vCIcJc9VxW

The paper’s director, Ivan Zazzaroni, produced a remarkable defence, saying it was “innocent” and that the article by the journalist Roberto Perrone had “been made poisonous by those who have poison inside them”.

Lukaku’s Italian agent, Federico Pastorello, said he was “really ashamed to read” such a headline. “We are trying to protect our clients from this huge problem [racism] because it’s not only a newspaper but it’s a problem you can breathe in the stadium, in social media, on the street,” he told Sky Sports News, adding that Lukaku was not happy with the headline but that “he’s strong enough to face it”.

The Fare network, which works against discrimination and for social inclusion in football, also tweeted, saying: “The media fuels racism every day. This is today’s edition of Italian sport daily Corriere dello Sport.”

Fare’s executive director, Piara Powar, said: “Part of the problem we have with Italy and countries like that at the moment is people do not know where to draw a line. They don’t know what is the right or wrong thing to do, what is appropriate or inappropriate and what might be racism and what might be acceptable.

“Would they ever take two white Italian players and say it’s ‘White Tuesday’? They wouldn’t and this is the issue. Why would you pick out two players who are black and highlight their race as a way to build up to the match? It crosses the line of acceptability.”

In the article the newspaper appeared to attempt to highlight the league’s racism problem. “In the faces of those idiots who boo, tomorrow everyone must instead go ‘oooh’ like children. It will be a Black Friday, but this is not an end-of-season sale,” the article said. It went on to describe Lukaku and Smalling as “two giants of colour”.

Zazzaroni’s defence of the front page and the article added to the anger and dismay in Italy and abroad. “Social media? … Full of noble grudges and cut-price indignation,” it read. “A kind thought a day keeps the doctor away. These days armies of right-minded people flock to the web to whitewash their beautiful souls. You locate the racist of the hour and off you go, in two strokes of the keyboard the stain has gone, you feel a better person in a better world. White, black, yellow.”

It continued: “Denying the difference is the age-old stumbling block of the racist anti-racist. The mental slum inhabited by part-time moralists, who suddenly are always on duty. ‘Black Friday’, for those who want to and are able to understand it, was only ever praising diversity, taking pride in diversity, the magnificent wealth of diversity. If you don’t understand it, it’s because you can’t do that. It is an innocent article, perfectly argued by Roberto Perrone, that has been turned to poison by people who are full of poison.”

Lukaku and Smalling have made successful starts to their careers in Italy. Lukaku has 10 goals in 14 Serie A games with Inter top of the league, one point ahead of Juventus. Smalling has been an ever-present since his debut against Atalanta towards the end of September and has scored two goals and provided one assist.

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Serie A has again been plagued by racist incidents this season, with Lukaku himself and the Brescia forward Mario Balotelli among those racially abused by supporters during games. An Italian TV pundit was sacked for saying the only way to stop Lukaku was to give him “10 bananas to eat”.

Last week all 20 clubs in Italy’s top tier signed an open letter which called on “all those who love Italian football” to unite to try to eradicate its “serious problem with racism”.