21/01/2024
AC Milan clash with Udinese paused after Mike Maignan reports racist chanting to referee and walks off the pitch
Soon after the half-hour mark, Milan goalkeeper Maignan reported that Udinese supporters had started chanting racist epithets at him. After making the decision to leave the field, the Frenchman's teammates encouraged and checked on him. Following a five-minute break, the match was resumed with Milan ahead 1-0 thanks to an early goal by Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the 31st minute. Lazar Samardzic of Udinese equalized shortly after the game
Similar to numerous football leagues, racism has been a problem in Italy. Victor Osimhen of Napoli claimed that at Fiorentina in 2021, he and his teammates Kalidou Koulibaly and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa were subjected to racist taunts. Romelu Lukaku appeared to be sent off for attempting to hush people using discriminatory language after he was the target of "disgusting racist abuse" during his loan at Inter Milan against Juventus last season.