AC Milan have condemned what they called “serious and unacceptable racist abuse” directed at goalkeeper Mike Maignan on social media, following his red card in Thursday’s Europa League loss at Bournemouth.
The France international was shown a straight red card and conceded a penalty in the 27th minute after putting his gloves in the face of United States midfielder Tyler Adams and pushing him to the ground.
“AC Milan strongly condemns all forms of racism and discrimination, which are unacceptable and have no place either on or off the pitch,” the club said in a statement on Friday.
“The Club expresses its full solidarity and support for Mike and reaffirms its ongoing commitment to promoting the values of respect, inclusion and equality. These are the values of AC Milan.”
Bournemouth converted the resulting penalty following the sending off to make the score 2-0 and went on to add another goal in the second half to record a dominant 3-0 win. It was Milan’s first defeat this season in all competitions.
In their statement, Milan called for unity from supporters and the Italian league to combat racism.
“Finally, we need to stand together as Milanisti and as a league,” the club said. “The only way we can restore Italian football to where it belongs is by coming together and embracing the best of what we can be, both individually and collectively.
“We all want to win, but we need to win the right way with dignity, mutual respect and class.”
Maignan, who is Black, has previously spoken out about being the subject of racist abuse.
During an Italian Serie A game at Udinese in January 2024, Maignan walked off the field after being subjected to racist chants by opposition fans — prompting the match to be suspended briefly during the first half.
“They made monkey noises and it’s not the first time it’s happened to me,” Maignan told DAZN at the time.
“They must hand out very strong sanctions, because talking no longer does anything.
“We have to say that what they are doing is wrong. It is not the whole crowd, most fans want to cheer on their team and jeer you, that’s normal, but not this.”
Milan’s next game sees them visit Udinese on Sunday.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
