FIFA president suggests 'automatic forfeit' penalty if fans are racist

On Saturday during an AC Milan game, goalkeeper Mike Maignan, walked off after being abused by Udinese fans during a top-tier Italian league game, prompting the match to be suspended briefly during the first half, CBC News reported.

Taking action on the racist episode, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for the implementation of an automatic forfeit of games for teams whose fans commit racist abuse.

While the players eventually returned and Milan went on to win 3-2, Maignan later told DAZN that he had been subjected to monkey noises.

The athlete responded with a powerful statement on Sunday.

"It's not the player who was attacked. It's the man, it's the father. It's not the first time it's happened to me and I'm not the first person it's happened to," Maignan wrote in French on X. 

Meanwhile, Kasey Palmer of Coventry also spoke about experiencing similar mistreatment at Hillsborough.

The FIFA president stated that harsher penalties are necessary in a post on X.

"As well as the three-step process (match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned), we have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned, as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists," he said.

Serie A declared that it "condemns all forms of racism", while France forward Kylian Mbappe added, "Enough is enough."

Milan and city rivals Inter have also openly backed Maignan.

The solidarity in the Milan team was praised by former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright, who also advocated for harsher punishments and advised teams to "keep walking off" when they hear insults.