AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and his team-mates walked off the pitch during the first half of the Serie A match at Udinese.
The 28-year-old Mike Maignan left the action shortly after his team had taken the lead, apparently indicating to referee Fabio Maresca he had heard racist abuse from the crowd at the Stadio Friuli.
The French goalkeeper is the first player to ask for the match to be suspended due to racist abuse.
He asked said the referee Maresca, as reported by the DAZN cameras: ‘Did you hear that too?’.
After leaving the pitch for about ten minutes, Maignan and his team-mates returned to the pitch angry along with the entire team that had supported him.
Many Udinese players hugged and kissed the goalkeeper who consciously chose to send a signal asking the referee to suspend the match.
His return to the pitch was marked by whistles from the Curva in a surreal atmosphere.
After being reassured by referee Maresca, Maignan returned between the posts however, following an announcement from the stadium speakers, the chants continued and the French goalkeeper together with other team-mates left the field again.
‘We can’t play football like this,’ Maignan said after the match.
‘At the first goal kick I heard monkey chants and I didn’t say anything’.
‘Second goal kick, they did it again so I called the bench and fourth referee’.
‘There needs to be very harsh sanctions. Just talking does nothing’.
Kylian Mbappe took to social media to send his support to his international team-mate, writing on X: ‘You are very far from being alone Mike Maignan. We are all with you.
‘Still the same problems and still NO solution. Enough is enough!!!!!!!!!!!! NO TO RACISM.’
The match started again despite Maignan’s gesture against yet another episode of racism in Italy.
Play was able to resume around seven minutes after Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s goal had broken the deadlock.
Maignan was beaten three minutes later by a Lazar Samardzic shot and the teams went in at half-time level at 1-1 after six minutes of stoppage time.
The second half passed without further controversy, with Milan winning the contest 3-2.
Substitute Florian Thauvin gave Udinese the lead but fellow replacement Luka Jovic levelled with a close-range finish with eight minutes remaining, before another second-half replacement – Noah Okafor – won it for the visitors in added time.
It’s just the latest racism storm hit by Italian football after Romelu Lukaku suffered similar abuse last April while playing for Inter Milan against Juventus.
117 Juventus fans subsequently received a stadium ban after being identified.