Italian club Udinese will have to play its next home game behind closed doors as punishment after its fans racially abused AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan during a Serie A match last week.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Serie A said it had “decided to sanction Udinese with the obligation to play a match behind closed doors”.
The Italian league’s disciplinary committee judge Gerardo Mastrandrea announced the verdict which could set a precedent for other clubs. Mastrandrea noted that despite the two announcements inside the stadium asking fans to stop the racist abuse, the supporters did not disassociate themselves from the racist chants.
Maignan, who is black and plays for the French national team, alongside other AC Milan players, walked off the pitch for a brief period after he alleged that Udinese fans made monkey noises in the stands.
Milan did return to play after five minutes and went on to win the match 3-2, pushing Udinese to 16th in the points table and precariously near the relegation zone. However, the incident once again reignited the conversation about the prevalent racism in the Italian league, infamous because of it.
After the incident gained traction, Udinese identified the culprit fan and banned him for life from attending any match for the club.
“In a joint effort with the local police authorities and utilizing the Bluenergy Stadium security cameras. Udinese Calcio has identified the first individual responsible for discriminatory behaviour towards AC Milan player Mike Maignan,” said the club in a statement
“This person will face a lifetime ban from attending any Udinese Calcio matches. This ban is effective immediately.”
Forfeit matches
After the incident, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino called for an automatic forfeit of games for the teams whose fans indulge in racist acts.
“As well as the three-step process (match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned), we have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned, as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists,” said Infantino via a FIFA post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Infantino also referred to the EFL match involving Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday where midfielder Kasey Palmer was subjected to a racist gesture by a fan in the dying moments of the game. Coventry manager Mark Robins made the revelation after the game.
“The events that took place in Udinese and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable. The players affected by Saturday’s events have my undivided support,” added Infantino.
Both Maignan and Palmer have received widespread support from the footballing world but the behaviour by the fans remains an area of concern for the sport.
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