The tension surrounding the Verona-Milan match, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Rossoneri, did not subside even after the final whistle. The atmosphere remained charged throughout the game, with criticism directed at the team, the management, and club president Cardinale. However, the situation escalated further at the end of the match.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report how the players gathered on the field after the game, with Mike Maignan, AC Milan’s captain and goalkeeper, seen protesting and complaining to the match officials. The reason for his distress soon became clear: Maignan had heard racist chants directed at him while he was in goal during the match.
In response to Maignan’s complaints, the stadium announcer requested that fans refrain from racist behavior. This announcement was met with whistles and jeers from some sections of the crowd, further intensifying the already tense atmosphere as both teams retreated to their locker rooms.
This incident bears a striking resemblance to a similar event that occurred last season during a match against Udinese. On January 20th, Maignan reported racist chants to the referee, which led to a brief suspension of the game. On that occasion, the first racist chants were heard around the 26th minute, prompting Maignan to alert the referee and triggering an initial appeal from the stadium announcer to the home supporters.
When the abuse continued, Maignan left the pitch at the 33rd minute, followed by his teammates and coach Stefano Pioli. The game was suspended for five minutes before resuming. After that match, Maignan stated, “This shouldn’t happen in stadiums. I heard monkey noises. It’s not the first time it’s happened, but I felt the support of everyone. We’re here to play football, to give everything for our fans, and to put on a show. I was angry, and we decided to go to the locker room. Then we talked and returned to the field. The best response was to win this game.”
In the aftermath of that incident, Udinese’s appeal was partially accepted. Instead of playing one match behind closed doors as initially decided, they played two matches with their North Curve closed to spectators.
