Udinese's Serie A match with AC Milan was briefly suspended due to alleged racist chants from home fans towards Mike Maignan at Stadio Friuli.
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Udinese-Milan stopped in first halfMilan's Maignan complains of racist abuseKeeper walked off pitchGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Not long after the half hour mark, Milan keeper Maignan claimed he had received racist chants from Udinese's fans. The Frenchman then decided to leave the pitch, with his team-mates checking in on him and supporting his actions. The game resumed after a delay of five or so minutes with Milan leading 1-0 after Ruben Loftus-Cheek's opener in the 31st minute. Shortly after the resumption of the contest, Udinese equalised through Lazar Samardzic 11 minutes later.
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Like many football leagues, Italy has had its issues with racism. Napoli's Victor Osimhen said he and his then team-mates Kalidou Koulibaly and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa were racially abused away at Fiorentina in 2021. Romelu Lukaku was subjected to "disgusting racist abuse" against Juventus whilst out on loan at Inter Milan last season, and appeared to be sent off for trying to silence those using discriminatory language.
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The Italian football Federation (FIGC) introduced new rules to combat racism in 2023, including an automatic 10-match ban and closing parts of the stadium. This moved the Italian regulations in line with the UEFA sanctions and doubled the 2012 minimum five-match ban.
WHAT NEXT?
The Udinese and Milan encounter will continue in the second half but the league's anti-racism guidelines state any person who “insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons, including reasons tied to the colour of skin, race, religion or ethnic origin, will receive a ban of at least 10 games or any other sanction considered appropriate". So Maignan, Milan and the referee will be on alert for more alleged racist abuse.