AC Milan’s Mike Maignan speaks out after going off the pitch following racist abuse in the Udinese match.
Mike Maignan claims he was treated to monkey noises and racist comments before coming off the pitch during AC Milan’s victory over Udinese on Saturday, and he has sought for stronger sanctions from Italian football officials.
The Rossoneri triumphed 3-2 in Udine courtesy to a stoppage-time goal from Noah Okafor after trailing until the 83rd minute, however the outcome was relatively unimportant.
In the middle of the first half, Maignan alerted referee Fabio Maresca and the fourth official that he was being racially abused by the home crowd behind his goal.
As per policy, a statement was issued over the tannoy at the Bluenergy Stadium, warning that if the behaviour continued, the match would be suspended.
When the monkey chants continued, Maignan informed the referee again, who called a short halt to the game, and the French goalkeeper, understandably enraged, marched down the tunnel back to the dressing room.
He threw off his gloves as he did so and had to be calmed down by his teammates and some Udinese players, while others went over to the spectators and asked them to stop screaming.
Although the two sides returned to the ground after about five minutes to finish the match, Maignan was furious and stated that, while it was only a small number of Udinese fans, more must be done to combat racism in Italian sport.
When asked what precipitated the walk-off, he explained to Sky Sport Italia that he heard monkey noises at the first goal kick and did not say anything.
“The second time I went to collect the ball, I heard it again. I notified our bench and the fourth official what had happened, and he informed the referee, who halted the game.
AC Milan’s Mike Maignan speaks out after going off the pitch following racist abuse in the Udinese match.
‘I said we can’t play football like this. This is not the first time it has occurred in this manner.
‘We must say that what they are doing is wrong. It’s not the entire audience; most people want to cheer on their side while jeering you, which is okay, but not this. It can’t happen.
When asked about the support he received from his teammates after leaving the pitch, he said, “We have a very strong group, we are a family, and everyone came over to support me.”
“We came back out wanting to work even harder to win, because winning is the best response.”
