Serie A: Milan, Maignan walk off pitch amid racist abuse
January 21, 2024
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, Saturday, walked off the field in protest after being subjected to racist abuse by Udinese fans, prompting the game to be paused briefly in the first half.
Messages of solidarity flooded in from viewers and FIFA's president would later recommend tougher punishments if supporters abused players. Two days later, the league announced Udinese will play one game without fans after racist abuse of Maignan.
"There is absolutely no place for racism in our game: we are appalled. We are with you, Mike," Milan said as the incident developed during the Serie A match in Udine.
What happened on pitch?
Maignan signaled his teammates to stop as he was set to take a goal kick shortly after Milan had scored to take a 1-0 lead. He had already spoken to the referee earlier in the game, and a stadium announcement had called on fans to cease racist abuse.
Maignan first walked to the referee, who in turn indicated that play should stop, and then left the pitch. He was followed by the rest of his team.
"They made monkey noises and it's not the first time it's happened to me," the 28-year-old Black footballer told sports broadcaster DAZN after the game.
Despite some improvements in recent years, Italian football still frequently struggles with racism in some of its football supporters' groups.
Maignan's 'appropriate response?' To win
"I was upset to have to go into the changing room like that but I had everyone's support," Maignan said. "We talked and then we made the decision to go back out onto the field and make the appropriate response — to win this game."
The game resumed a few minutes after the suspension.
Milan won 3-2 thanks to two late goals. Substitute Luka Jovic scored in the 83rd minute and Noah Okafor scored the winner from close range in stoppage time. Maignan's teammates ran across the pitch to celebrate the late strikes with him.
Separate case in Sheffield on Saturday
In England on Saturday, Coventry City's midfielder Kasey Palmer also accused local Sheffield Wednesday fans of chanting racist abuse at him during their English Championship clash. This match against Sheffield Wednesday was also paused as the referee spoke to both team managers. Coventry won 2-1.
Palmer called the abuse "abhorrent and wholly unacceptable."
How did FIFA react?
Quickly responding to Saturday's incidents, FIFA President Gianni Infantino suggested "automatic forfeits" for teams whose supporters hurl "abhorrent" abuse.
He said there was no place for discrimination in football or broader society.
"The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable," Infantino said in a statement, adding that the players affected by the racism have his "undivided support."
He went on to call for stakeholders to take relevant action — starting with education in schools — and implement an automatic forfeit for the team the racist fans are supporting.
"As well as the three-step process (match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned), we have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists," he said.
In most cases, certainly for Saturday's Serie A game or the match in Sheffield, powers to make such changes would not rest with FIFA, but the world governing body's input on such matters nevertheless carries weight.
mk/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)