London, Sep 5 (IANS): Former Manchester City captain and Belgian defender Vincent Kompany feels that football organisations and authorities are the real problem when it comes to racism which is a constant menace in the sport.

Speaking in the wake of fellow Belgian Romelu Lukaku being subjected to monkey chants during his club Inter Milan's Series A match against Cagliari on Sunday, Kompany told Sky Sports News: "Romelu is a victim of something disgraceful, not just in football, but also in society."

"It goes back to who is expected to make a decision on these issues, and it's in these organisations that the problems lie. The real racism lies in the fact that none of these institutions have representatives that can actually understand what Romelu is going through.

"You are dealing with a crowd of people and decision-makers who are telling him how he should think and feel, when you have no decision-makers who are remotely in touch with what he has experienced in his life.

"That's the real issue -- if you go through the boards at UEFA or FIFA, the Italian League or the English League, there is a real lack of diversity. If you don't have diversity in places of power like boardrooms, then you can't have the right decisions in terms of sanctions -- it's as simple as that," Kompany said.

Lukaku, who moved from Manchester United to Inter Milan this season, netted the winner from the spot in a 2-1 victory over Cagliari on Sunday, but the game was marred by monkey chants.

A statement from Inter fan group Curva Nord later said "Italian fans are not racist" and that the abuse was "gamesmanship", as reported by BBC. "We are sorry you thought what happened in Cagliari was racist," it added.