Nicky Bandini (The Guardian) writes that “Milan’s goalkeeper left the field after the latest racist incident but others, including FIFA, think football should go further.” [Mike Maignan—who was born in French Guiana, and whose father is from a Guadeloupean and his mother from Haiti—is the goalkeeper of AC Milan and the French national men’s team. He has been regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.]
Saturday was far from the first time that Mike Maignan suffered racist abuse inside a Serie A stadium. He had barely joined Milan when he heard supporters targeting him during a match away to Juventus in September 2021. After the match he posted a statement in three different languages on his social media account, questioning whether enough was being done to prevent such incidents from recurring.
“Do the people who take decisions know what it feels to hear insults that portray us as animals?” he wrote at the time. “Do they know what it does to our family, to our relatives who just can’t understand why these things keep happening in 2021?”
Three years later, they are still happening. At Udinese’s Stadio Friuli, Maignan refused to tolerate it. He had heard racist chants and insults directed at him when he went to retrieve the ball for his very first goal-kick. When it happened again at the second, he informed the referee, Fabio Maresca, as well as Milan’s coaching staff. Announcements were made on the stadium PA warning that discrimination would not be tolerated.
They were not effective. Milan took the lead in the 31st minute, Ruben Loftus-Cheek converting a cross from Théo Hernández, but at a stoppage two minutes later, Maignan was abused again. He walked out of his penalty area again and toward the sidelines, where he paused for a moment with teammates before leading them down the tunnel leading to the changing rooms.
Maresca signalled for the game to be stopped. Milan’s manager, Stefano Pioli, was seen venting his frustrations toward Udinese’s technical director, Federico Balzaretti, who came on to the pitch to speak with officials. It was not clear how anyone planned to proceed but Maignan and his teammates eventually re-emerged after a little less than two minutes in the tunnel.
The game resumed as further warnings against racist abuse were made from the PA but Ultras supporting the home team turned their anger on Maignan, with chants of “scemo” – “idiot” – from the Curva. They whistled loudly when he touched the ball.
Milan, who had dominated the first half-hour, lost their rhythm. Udinese soon equalised with a goal from Lazar Samardzic and took the lead early in the second half when Florian Thauvin cut in from the left and lifted a shot over Maignan.
But that was not the end. Pioli sent on Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor, two summer signings who have struggled to establish themselves. The Serbian pulled his team level, diving in to head home the rebound after Olivier Giroud’s deflected shot came back off the crossbar. Okafor sealed a 3-2 comeback win when he swept the ball in from a corner in the 93rd minute.
This was an important result for Milan, who have taken 16 points from their last six games – a sharp turnaround from talk of crises and Pioli’s job being under threat in early December. They have a firm hold on third and have not yet given up hope of battling back into the title race – though Juventus and Inter continue to set a formidable pace ahead of them.
At full-time, though, Pioli’s first thought was not for the result but for Maignan. “I was sad to see a guy who is so respectful to everyone, so sporting, be targeted like that,” he said. “These are situations which must not keep happening, it’s better that these ignorant people stay home and don’t come to the stadium.” [. . .]
For full article, see https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/22/mike-maignan-milan-show-statements-silence-protocols-end-racism-udinese-serie-a
Also see https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/21/fifa-gianni-infantino-demands-forfeit-fans-commit-racism-mike-maignan-milan-sheffield-wednesday and https://infos.rtl.lu/sport/international/a/2160816.html
[Photo above by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images: Mike Maignan (center) speaks to the fourth official (left) as his Milan manager, Stefano Pioli, holds him back.]
Nicky Bandini (The Guardian) writes that “Milan’s goalkeeper left the field after the latest racist incident but others, including FIFA, think football should go further.” [Mike Maignan—who was born in French Guiana, and whose father is from a Guadeloupean and his mother from Haiti—is the goalkeeper of AC Milan and the French national men’s team.
