AC Milan’s match against Udinese was temporarily suspended on Saturday night after Mike Maignan was the victim of alleged racist abuse.
The Serie A match at the Friuli stadium in Udine was interrupted in the 33rd minute. After Milan goalkeeper Maignan racially insulted some Udinese fans, the referee blew the whistle and sent both teams off the field.
Maignan, comforted through his teammates, was visibly disappointed as he entered the tunnel. The match was suspended for about ten minutes before resuming. Milan then won 3-2, a result that put them six points ahead of Inter Milan.
They wrote: “There is no place for racism in our game – we are appalled. We’re with you, Mike. “
Maignan told Sky in Italy full-time: “They have to face very tough sanctions, because talking is no longer useful. They have to stay home and come to the stadium. “
Maignan informed the referee and fourth official of the racist abuse that occurred from his early goal in Saturday night’s match. The stadium announcer asked the fans involved to avoid his terrible chants or the attack would be called off.
Yet their disgraceful behaviour continued and the referee was left with no choice but to stop the game. The stadium announcer made another address to spectators, while Serie A wrote on X: “Serie A condemns any form of racism.” There were no further delays.
Milan opened the scoring through former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek before Lazar Samardzic equalised shortly before half-time. Udinese then took the lead in the 62nd minute when former Newcastle star Florian Thauvin found the net.
But Milan fought back. Luka Jovic equalized in the 83rd minute after heading in a loose ball before Noah Okafor scored in stoppage time to clinch the win. The result is a blow to Udinese, who are now just one point above the relegation zone.
Maignan, 28, is one of Milan’s top players, having arrived from French club Lille in July 2021. He has made nearly 100 appearances for the Italian giants since that move and helped them win the Serie A name in his first season in San Francisco.
Maignan was also part of the Lille team that stunned Paris Saint-Germain to win the Ligue 1 title in 2021. He succeeded Hugo Lloris as France’s No.1 goalkeeper last year and has won 13 senior caps to date, helping them win the Nations League finals in 2021.
Maignan made his senior debut for France in 2020 and was part of their squad for Euro 2020, which was delayed by a year due to the Covid pandemic. He missed France’s participation in the 2022 World Cup final, lost to Argentina, due to a calf injury. .
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