AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan has called for strong sanctions to combat racism after briefly leaving the pitch in protest against chanting he faced during a Serie A match at Udinese.
Maignan alerted the referee to repeated racist chants from the local fans before leaving the pitch on Saturday.
His teammates followed him to the tunnel before all returning to the pitch after a few minutes.
Following the match, which Milan won 3-2 thanks to a stoppage-time goal by striker Noah Okafor, Maignan said talking about racism was not enough to scrub it out of the game.
“I said we cannot play football like this. It is not the first time it has happened this way,” Maignan told Sky Sports Italy.
“They must hand out very strong sanctions because talking no longer does anything.
“We have to say that what they are doing is wrong.
“It is not the whole crowd. Most fans want to cheer on their team and jeer you. That’s normal but not this.”
Maignan, who was born in French Guiana, said he heard supporters making “monkey noises” from the start of the match.
“What happened in the first half is that at the first goal kick I heard monkey noises. I said nothing,” he said.
“The second time I went to get the ball, I heard it again. I told the fourth official and my bench what happened.
“I was angry because this isn’t the first time it has happened.
“I did not want to play but we are a family and I could not leave my teammates like that.”
Media reports also claim Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer accused Sheffield Wednesday fans of calling out racist chants during their English Championship clash on Saturday.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino showed his solidarity with Maignan and called for measures to address racism.
“The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield Wednesday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable,” he said in a statement.
“There is no place for racism or any form of discrimination, either in football or in society. The players affected by Saturday’s events have my full support.
“In addition to the three-step process (match stopped, match stopped again and match abandoned), we need to enforce automatic defeat for the team whose fans committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned, as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists.”
Milan sit third on the Serie A table, six points behind leaders and cross-town rivals Inter Milan which has played one fewer matches.
Reuters/ABC
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