After the final whistle, which secured a 1-0 win for AC Milan against Cagliari, a brawl erupted on the pitch. Mike Maignan experienced racial abuse from the home fans and, along with Fikayo Tomori, took a stand.
The two made some gestures towards the Cagliari fans, rightfully so, but it wasn’t appreciated by the Cagliari players. A brawl thus erupted and emotions were running high from both sides.
In some videos that circulated last night (now removed due to copyright), monkey noises were heard loud and clear towards some Milan players. It’s something that shouldn’t happen in 2022 but the reality is that Italy still has big problems with it.
Speaking to Sky Italia after the game, as cited by Football Italia, Cagliari captain Joao Pedro made matters worse with his comments. He stated that he will defend the fans as he knows them well, despite many racism incidents at Cagliari in the last few years.
“I didn’t hear anything, no. That is a very delicate matter, but I was basically in midfield at the time. It was the end of the game, he started provoking them in turn and I tried to pull him away to avoid the situation getting worse.
“This is not a pleasant situation to talk about, but I have been here for eight years and I will defend the fans because I did not hear anything,” he stated.
