21 January 2024 , 13:35
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Mike Maignan has called on the football world to do more to combat racism after AC Milan’s match against Udinese was suspended due to alleged racist chanting.
Milan’s players walked off the pitch and play was suspended for around 10 minutes in the first half at Udinese's Bluenergy Stadium after Maignan reported hearing monkey chants. The away side ended up coming from 2-1 down to win 3-2 in the Serie A clash thanks to Noah Okafor’s 93rd-minute winner.
The win was an important one for Milan, who are third in Serie A, six points behind rivals Inter. But the result was overshadowed by the disgraceful scenes in the first half, which left Maignan to reflect on the levels of discrimination in the sport.
In a social media post translated from French, Maignan wrote: “It was not the player who was attacked. It's the man. He's the father of the family. This isn't the first time this has happened to me. And I'm not the first this has happened to. We issued press releases, advertising campaigns, protocols and nothing has changed. Today, an entire system must take responsibility: The perpetrators of these acts, because it is easy to act in a group, in the anonymity of a platform.
“The spectators who were in the stand, who saw everything, who heard everything but who chose to remain silent, you are complicit. The Udinese club, which only spoke of an interruption of the match, as if nothing had happened, you are complicit. The authorities and the prosecutor, with everything that is happening, if you do nothing, YOU WILL ALSO BE COMPLICIT.
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“I have already told you and if it bears repeating: I am not a VICTIM. And I want to say thank you to my club AC Milan, to my teammates, to the referee, to the Udinese players and to everyone who sent me messages, who called me, who supported privately and publicly. I can't answer everyone but I see you and we are TOGETHER. It is a difficult fight, which will take time and courage. But it's a fight we will win.”
AC Milan wrote on Twitter : "There is absolutely no place in our game for racism: we are appalled. We are with you, Mike.” Rivals Inter Milan replied with: "We are brothers of the world, against all forms of discrimination. By your side."
AC Milan walked off after Mike Maignan reported racist chanting (Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images)FIFA president Gianni Infantino reacted to the incident – and the alleged racist abuse during Sheffield Wednesday’s Championship game against Coventry on Saturday – by calling for harsher punishments for racism.
"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. "FIFA and football shows full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. Once and for all: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!
"The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable. The players affected by Saturday's events have my undivided support. We need ALL the relevant stakeholders to take action, starting with education in schools so that future generations understand that this is not part of football or society."