Musah: ‘Maignan didn’t want to continue after racist abuse’

Milan midfielder Yunus Musah reflected on the racist abuse suffered by Mike Maignan in the win over Udinese, underling how ‘enough is enough’.

The Rossoneri goalkeeper and his teammates left the field of play in the first half of the Serie A clash with Udinese on Saturday evening after the Frenchman was racially abused by a group of Bianconeri fans behind his goal.

Play eventually resumed and Milan ran off 3-2 winners after a late goal from Noah Okafor. The incident drew widespread condemnation in the footballing world and Maignan called on the ‘entire system to take responsibility’ in the fight against racism in sport.

Speaking via La Gazzetta dello Sport, Musah first discussed the ongoing battle against racism in football.

“The fans always shout something at us, but enough is enough. It happened to me at Valencia and also on Saturday. But we showed that something can be done on the pitch.”

The American midfielder reflected on the recent incident involving Maignan in Udine.

“Mike didn’t want to continue, but we were close to him, and we didn’t leave him alone. These actions must now have consequences. Something must be done and our reaction on the pitch was right, it gave us the confidence that we are a united group.”

Musah also spoke to Milan’s media department whilst at the ‘All the colours of sport’ event, an initiative set up by the Rossoneri to combat discrimination in sport.

“Throughout my career, football has taught me values such as patience and respect. Patience helps you understand that you must not give up, because by working hard you can achieve the goals your goals.

“Respect is fundamental, especially when you share daily life in a locker room made up of over 20 different people. It’s really sad to see things like what happened last Saturday continue to happen. These actions must have consequences, something must be done.

“Our reaction on the pitch was right, it gave us the certainty that we are a united group, that we would emerge from that evening stronger than before and with a victory.”