Despite monkey cries against him, Mike Maignan chose to resume the match which he had initially stopped playing. The Blues goalkeeper justifies his decision.
Saturday evening, during the AC Mian match in the Udinese stadium, Mike Maignan left the field after being the target of racist insults. When he had to play a six-meter return, the goalkeeper of the France team headed towards the sidelines in the 34th minute of play and was then followed by his teammates.
“I didn’t want to play anymore, I told everyone when I left the field, but we are a family, I couldn’t abandon my teammates. I was angry, not disappointed, because it’s not the first time I’ve experienced this. My teammates, the staff, everyone told me to stay strong in my head and give the right answer on the pitch”, reacted the former Lille player at the microphone of the DAZN platform. The match was interrupted by the match referee in the 38th minute, then resumed after a five-minute interruption.
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. ⛔️✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/uqlCLMr00x
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) January 20, 2024
“What happened was when I got the ball for my first dismissal of the match, I heard monkeys screaming, I didn’t say anything. It happened again afterwards, I told our coaches and then the fourth official. We then made the decision to return to the field and give the best answer by winning this match,” continues Mike Maignan. Despite messages broadcast in the stadium, the racist insults continued until the match was interrupted.
