Mike Maignan responded on Saturday to "ignorant" fans who directed monkey chants at the French goalkeeper during AC Milan's thrilling 3-2 victory at Udinese, a match that was briefly interrupted due to the abusive behaviour.
Milan are trailing league leaders Inter Milan by six points, with Inter currently in Saudi Arabia participating in the Italian Super Cup. Milan holds the third position following Noah Okafor's decisive goal in the third minute of added time.
However, the match was marred by an incident involving a group of Udinese supporters who racially abused Maignan in the first half. This led referee Fabio Maresca to halt the game, and an angered Maignan left the field along with his teammates.
Speaking to Sky Sport, Maignan revealed that he initially heard monkey chants when he retrieved the ball for his first goal kick but chose not to respond.
"Then for the second goal kick they did it again. I called to the dugout and the fourth official and I told them what had happened. I said that we can't play in these conditions because it's not the first time that it's happened with me or other players," he said.
"They're ignorant people... You can be booed or whistled when you're away from home, that's normal, but what happened today has no place in football."
Play resumed after approximately five minutes, with Milan leading at that juncture, courtesy of Ruben Loftus-Cheek's excellent finish shortly after the half-hour mark.
However, Milan appeared visibly shaken as the match recommenced, and three minutes before the break, Lazar Samardzic equalized for the hosts by casually manoeuvring through the midfield and unleashing an unstoppable low shot into the net.
Florian Thuavin propelled the hosts into the lead in the 62nd minute, navigating past Tijjani Reijnders and Theo Hernandez before unleashing a shot just above Maignan's head.
Nevertheless, Milan mounted a comeback, and Luka Jovic nodded in the equaliser in the 83rd minute after Olivier Giroud's deflected strike rebounded onto the goal line off the underside of the bar.
Okafor then ignited exuberant celebrations among the substantial Milan contingent at the Bluenergy Stadium when he stabbed in the winning goal, extending his team's unbeaten run in the league to six matches.
Fan racism
Saturday marked not the first instance of Maignan facing racial abuse from supporters in Italy, as he was targeted by a Juventus fan in September 2021.
After that incident, Maignan asserted his identity as "black and proud," questioning whether Italy's football authorities comprehended the experience of "hearing insults and chants reducing us to animals."
Italy, governed by a coalition led by the far-right Brothers of Italy party, harbours fascist football fan groups, particularly among the hardcore "ultras" who dominate the atmosphere at stadiums.
Last week, Lazio faced a one-match stand closure after supporters directed monkey chants at Romelu Lukaku during their team's Italian Cup triumph over local rivals Roma.
In November, Fiorentina received a suspended stand closure after their fans targeted Dusan Vlahovic, Moise Kean, and Weston McKennie during a home defeat to Juventus.
Racism persists to such an extent that in August, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination raised a "red flag" over abuse at sporting events.
Earlier, Daniele De Rossi made a winning start to his tenure as Jose Mourinho's successor at Roma, as his boyhood club secured a 2-1 victory over struggling Verona at the emotional Stadio Olimpico.
First-half goals from Lukaku and Lorenzo Pellegrini proved sufficient for Roma, who currently sit eighth in Serie A, to overcome Verona and give De Rossi a narrow debut win after assuming the role on Tuesday.
Taking advantage of fourth-placed Fiorentina's absence from league fixtures this weekend due to Italian Super Cup commitments in Saudi Arabia, Roma moved within two points of the Champions League positions.
