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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Nicky Bandini

Maignan and Milan show statements and protocols will not end racism

Mike Maignan (centre) speaks the fourth official (left) as his Milan manager, Stefano Pioli, holds him back.
Mike Maignan (centre) speaks the fourth official (left) as his Milan manager, Stefano Pioli, holds him back. Photograph: Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

Saturday was far from the first time that Mike Maignan suffered racist abuse inside a Serie A stadium. He had barely joined Milan when he heard supporters targeting him during a match away to Juventus in September 2021. After the match he posted a statement in three different languages on his social media account, questioning whether enough was being done to prevent such incidents from recurring.

“Do the people who take decisions know what it feels to hear insults that portray us as animals?” he wrote at the time. “Do they know what it does to our family, to our relatives who just can’t understand why these things keep happening in 2021?”

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