USMNT star Yunus Musah has revealed that AC Milan team-mate Mike Maignan did not want to continue after being racially abused by Udinese fans.
Maignan abused during Udinese winGoalkeeper left pitchDid not want to resume gameGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Milan's Serie A clash with Udinese was marred by supporters directing racial abuse at Maignan. The game was paused after Maignan left the pitch and was joined by his team-mates in protest. The match did, however, resume with Milan going on to win 3-2. Musah has now revealed that Maignan had to be convinced to continue and has called on action to be taken in a bid to stamp racism out of the game.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT MUSAH SAID
Musah said while appearing at a school in New York as part of Milan's initiative: "Fans always shout something against you, but enough is enough. It had already happened to me at Valencia, and Saturday as well.
"Mike didn’t want to continue, but we remained close to him and didn’t leave him alone. These actions must have consequences. Something must be made and our reaction on the pitch was appropriate. It gave us the certainty that we are a united group."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Maignan called for strong sanctions following the win and has received support from fellow footballers. Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr has urged authorities to "imprison racists" and PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe has also called for change. Meanwhile, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for an "automatic forfeit" for teams whose fans commit racial abuse.
WHAT NEXT?
Udinese have escaped a strong sanction for the incident and have simply been ordered to play one match behind closed doors. The Serie A side have, however, issued a statement confirming they have identified an individual who racially abused Maignan and have issued a lifetime ban.