AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan said too many people were “complicit” in allowing racism to continue to destroy football, and accused him of racist abuse on Saturday night. He called on the authorities to take stronger action in response to the incident.
Maignan, who is black, was sent off after being verbally abused by an Udinese fan during a match in Italy’s first division, and the match was suspended midway through the first half. Maninan later told DAZN that he had been exposed to monkey noise.
On Sunday, he responded in strong terms.
“It’s not the player who was attacked. It’s the man, it’s the father. It’s not the first time something like this has happened to me and I’m not the first time something like this has happened to me.” Maignan posted in French on X, formerly known as Twitter.. “We’ve issued statements, we’ve done publicity, we’ve published protocols, but nothing has changed. Today, the entire system has to be held accountable.”
Mr Maignan said not enough was being done to stamp out racial abuse.
“If you do not act, both the authorities and the prosecutors, you will become an accomplice in everything that is going on,” he wrote.
The 28-year-old, France’s No. 1 goalkeeper, said anyone who witnessed racist incidents should report the perpetrators and that Udinese should have taken a firmer stance at the time.
“To the fans in the stands, the fans who saw everything, heard everything, but decided to remain silent, you are accomplices,” Maninan continued on X. He’s an accomplice. ”
Menyan also told the referee about the monkey chant before the game started. After being suspended, the Serie A match resumed approximately five minutes later.
There have been a number of racist incidents in Italian and European football over the years, including those involving Kevin-Prince Boateng, Mario Balotelli and Romelu Lukaku.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the incident “completely abhorrent and completely unacceptable” and said world soccer’s governing body could initiate harsher punishment.
“All parties involved need to take action, starting with school education, so that future generations understand that this is not part of football or society.” In his statement regarding X he wrote:.
“In addition to the three-step process (game cancellation, game re-cancellation, game cancellation), automatic disqualification of teams whose fans engage in racist behavior that causes the game to be canceled, and a worldwide stadium ban. Measures must also be introduced” and criminal charges against racists. ”
Maignan’s France teammate Kylian Mbappé posted a message of support for Maignan.
“We are all with you.” mbappe wrote to x. “It’s always the same problem, and there’s no solution yet. Come on.”
Maignan, whose brilliant performance helped Milan win Serie A in 2022, praised the people who helped him get going.
“I would like to once again express my gratitude.” my club ac milanTo my teammates, to the referees, to the Udinese players who have sent me messages, phoned me and supported me both publicly and privately,” Maninan said before concluding. “It’s a difficult battle that will take time and courage. But it’s a battle we will win.”
Udinese also released a statement on Sunday.
“Udinese deeply regrets and condemns all acts of racism and violence,” the club said in a statement. “We reaffirm our abhorrence of discrimination in any form and express our deep solidarity with AC Milan player Mike Maignan in light of the deplorable incident that occurred at our stadium on Saturday.
“Udinese will cooperate with all investigative authorities to ensure the immediate clarification of the incident, with the aim of taking the necessary steps to punish those responsible. As an organization, we remain committed to We will continue to work diligently to promote diversity and inclusion of all ethnicities, cultures and languages among our players, staff, fan base and city.”
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer