CNN — (CNN) — AC Milan’s French goalkeeper Mike Maignan led his team on Saturday after allegedly racist chants directed at him by opposing fans at the Brunagy Stadium in Udine, Italy. He left the pitch.
The incident occurred in the 33rd minute of a match against Udinese in Italy’s Serie A.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Maignan, a 28-year-old black man, said he heard chants of “monkey squeal” from the crowd when he won the ball for the first goal kick and again during the second goal. He said he heard it. kick.
“These are ignorant people… When you’re away from home you get booed and whistled at. That’s normal, but what happened today has no place in football,” Maignan said. Told.
Maignan informed referee Fabio Maresca, and as Maignan left the pitch and walked down the players’ tunnel, the referee stopped the match.
His Milan teammates also joined him.
The game restarted less than 10 minutes later, with Milan winning 3-2 in a dramatic final minute.
After the match, Milan posted on X (formerly Twitter) in support of Maignan, writing: “Racism has no place in our games. We are appalled. We are with you, Mike. ”
“Liga Serie A condemns all forms of racism,” the league said in a post on X.
Last week, fellow Serie A side Lazio were forced to close their stands for one match after supporters directed racist chants at Romelu Lukaku during their Italian Cup win over local rivals Roma.
Italian football authorities are likely to announce any disciplinary action against Udinese in the coming days after an investigation that includes examining the referee’s match report.
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