Udinese said Monday that the fans responsible for the monkey chants directed at AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan during Saturday’s Serie A match between the teams would be banned for life.
“The possible Daspo stadium ban imposed by the judicial authorities has a limited duration, but we will work to exclude these racists from the stadium for life,” said Udinese General Manager Franco Collavino.
“We are convinced that no more than two or three people were to blame.
“There was no (choral) chanting: both the referee and the federal prosecutor’s office confirmed this to us.
“In any case, the number doesn’t matter: even if it was only one, it would still be very serious”.
On Sunday, Maignan accused the club and other spectators of being accomplices, saying the authorities would also be guilty if they do not take a stand.
Five-year DASPO ban for one culprit
A 46-year-old known criminal from the province of Udine on Monday got a five-year police DASPO ban for shouting “sh**ty n**ger” 12 times at AC Milan and France keeper Mike Maignan on Saturday night.
The man was the first of the many Udinese fans to have been identified after Maignan walked off. The ref temporarily suspended the game over the monkey chants and other insults suffered by the keeper.
Udinese has said it will ban the culprits for life.
In their statement, Udinese Calcio said, “We want to ensure that our stadium remains a space where everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, background, culture, and language is able to enjoy the beautiful game without fear of discrimination. Udinese Calcio calls on all football stakeholders to unite in the fight against racism and discrimination, fostering an environment that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusion.”
FIFA has led condemnation of the episode, which Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has called “abominable”. A similar incident also took place in England when a Coventry Coty player faces abuse at Sheffield Wednesday.
“The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable,” Infantino said.
“We have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists”.
