Udinese will face the consequence of playing a single game without spectators in response to the racist mistreatment endured by AC Milan’s goalkeeper, Mike Maignan.

Maignan, the Milan goalkeeper, made headlines during a recent Serie A match against Udinese when he walked off the pitch due to comments made by a section of the home supporters. His Milan teammates joined him, resulting in a 10-minute suspension of play before the match resumed. As a punishment, Udinese will have to play their next match without any supporters, as decided by Serie A sports judge Gerardo Mastrandrea.

The severity of the incident led to an official statement from the Italian football federation (FIGC), stating that such events warrant the obligation to play matches behind closed doors. The FIGC emphasized the magnitude and seriousness of the situation, justifying the sanction imposed on Udinese.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has also expressed his concern over the issue of racism in football. In light of the racist abuse suffered by Maignan and Coventry’s Kasey Palmer during a match against Sheffield Wednesday, Infantino called for teams to forfeit games if their fans engage in such behavior. He condemned the events in Udine and Sheffield as abhorrent and completely unacceptable, offering his full support to the affected players.

Infantino further emphasized the need for action from all relevant stakeholders, starting with education in schools to ensure that future generations understand that racism has no place in football or society. In addition to the existing three-step process of stopping, re-stopping, and abandoning matches, Infantino proposed implementing an automatic forfeit for teams whose fans commit racism and cause a match to be abandoned. He also suggested worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for individuals involved in racist incidents.

The incidents in Udine and Sheffield have sparked a renewed call for action against racism in football, with both the Italian and international football authorities recognizing the need for stricter measures to combat this issue.