Udinese to appeal stadium ban as chief defends club's 'values'
Udinese chief executive Franco Collavino said the club stands with AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan after he was racially abused by its fans last weekend, but also announced the club will still appeal a stadium ban handed down as punishment.
The sanction was imposed by Serie A's sports judge, Gerardo Mastrandrea, and his judgement stated the one-match stadium closure was the minimum sanction which could have been imposed and was chosen to reflect Udinese’s active stance and willingness right from the start to identify those responsible.
The club announced on Tuesday (AEDT) it had banned a supporter for life for racially abusing Maignan, and police also identified four others who have been handed five-year stadium bans.
France international Maignan reported to referee Fabio Maresca that he had been abused and left the pitch.
Speaking after the game, which restarted after a delay of around 10 minutes, Maignan said: “I heard them making monkey noises. After it happened a second time, I went to the dugout to inform them of what had happened behind the goal.
“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence. We all have to react, we must do something because you can’t play like this.”
The incident involving Maignan occurred on the same day that Coventry City midfielder Kasey Palmer alleged he was racially abused during an EFL Championship match at Sheffield Wednesday.
