In response to the “totally abhorrent” incidents at Udinese and Sheffield Wednesday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino is pushing for the implementation of an automatic forfeit of games for teams whose fans are involved in racist abuse.
AC Milan’s players made a powerful statement by leaving the pitch at the Stadio Friuli after France international goalkeeper Mike Maignan reported hearing monkey noises from the crowd.
Similar abuse was directed at Coventry’s Kasey Palmer at Hillsborough, resulting in a temporary suspension of their 2-1 victory as match officials conferred with both managers.
Milan’s players, after a temporary withdrawal, returned to clinch a 3-2 victory in added time; however, Infantino emphasized the need for more severe punishments.
“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,” he said in a FIFA post on Twitter.
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“FIFA and football show full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. Once and for all: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!
“The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable. The players affected by Saturday’s events have my undivided support.
“We need all the relevant stakeholders to take action, starting with education in schools so that future generations understand that this is not part of football or society.”
Maignan emphasized the urgent need for change, stating that racist abuse has persisted in football for far too long.
“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence,” he told Milan TV after confirming he heard fans making monkey noises.
“With all the cameras present and sanctions for these things, something must be done to change things. We all have to react; we must do something because you can’t play like this.”
Milan and city rivals Inter have both publicly supported Maignan, Serie A said it “condemns all forms of racism”, while France striker Kylian Mbappe said “enough is enough.”
‘You are very far from being alone, Mike Maignan. We are all with you. Still the same problems and still no solution. Enough is enough. No to racism,’ Mbappe posted on Twitter.