Maignan: ‘If you treat racism as an isolated incident…’
Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan released a cutting statement after receiving racist abuse from Juventus fans. ‘As long as we will look at what happened as ‘isolated incidents,’ history will repeat itself again, and again, and again.’
The French shot-stopper was targeted during the warm-up at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin on Sunday, ahead of the 1-1 Serie A draw.
Juve’s ultras groups have promised to identify and expel whoever was responsible for these chants, but it is just part of a wider problem throughout football and society, which only seems to be getting worse all over Europe.
“Sunday night, at the Allianz Stadium, some Juventus fans threw racist insults and chants around me,” wrote Maignan on social media, cutting through the usual routines we see when there is racist abuse in football.
“What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say that racism is bad and that these fans are stupid? It’s not about that.
“I am not the first and I won’t be the last player who will experience that. As long as we will look at what happened as ‘isolated incidents,’ history will repeat itself again, and again, and again.
“What do we do to fight racism in the football stadium? Do we really believe it is effective? I am in a Club that strives to be a leader in opposing every type of discrimination. But we need to do more and all united in this battle against a societal issue bigger than football itself.
“Do the people who take decisions know what it feels to hear insults that portray us as animals? Do they know what it does to our family, to our relatives who just can’t understand why these things keep happening in 2021?
“I am not a ‘victim’ of racism. I am Mike, standing up, black and proud. As long as we will be able to raise our voice and make a difference, we’ll do it.”
Milan had also demanded an FIGC investigation into racist abuse of midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko by Lazio fans during their 2-0 win at San Siro.
— Mike Maignan (@mmseize) September 21, 2021