Alberto Felice De Toni, the mayor of Udine, personally proposed the idea of offering Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan honorary citizenship after he was racially abused by some Udinese fans.
The 28-year-old Frenchman and his Rossoneri teammates left the pitch in the first half of their clash with the Bianconeri on Saturday evening after the goalkeeper suffered some racist abuse from some fans behind his goal.
The incident has been widely condemned across the footballing world and Maignan penned a personal letter calling for the ‘entire system to take responsibility’ for the battle against racism in football.
Speaking on his Instagram page, Udine mayor De Toni called for Maignan to return to the city to carry out some initiatives with young people and suggested he receive honorary citizenship of the city.
“Ours is a city for everyone, Udine is not racist and has a long history of welcoming. This is why I personally invited Maignan to Udine to carry out concrete initiatives dedicated to younger people together, with the support of the Milan Foundation. I will propose to the city council to also grant him honorary citizenship on that occasion.”
“I was deeply hurt by what happened yesterday and for this very reason I want to express the solidarity of Udine, of the Friulians and of the Udinese fans who do not feel represented by what happened yesterday.
“Our values cannot be humiliated by a few people blinded by racism. Therefore, what happened last night must be a turning point in the fight against any type of discrimination. Udine has a long history of hospitality, solidarity, mutual respect, which cannot be questioned by a single crazy gesture.
“I want Maignan to return to Udine to bring a very strong message to the new generations with his personal experience, the future of our communities passes through inclusion, respect, sharing and consequently through profitable social relationships.
“In Udine 14% of residents are of foreign origin. Our border territory has always been a crossroads of peoples and cultures. There is no room for any discrimination. For this reason, I will propose to the next city council that on that occasion Maignan become an honorary citizen of the city.
“The world of football, animated by fans and rivalries, is on the front line in the fight against racism. We stand alongside every sporting movement to affirm that there are no differences, neither on the field nor off.
“The Friulian public has always stood out for its fairness, and this is also why the stadium has hosted a large number of international matches.
“The Udinese Calcio club itself has always proven to be multicultural and inclusive. Friuli is a symbol of solidarity and attention to others. All together we will prove it once again.”
Milan supported Maignan on and off the pitch, and decided to fall silent on social media today in response to the racist abuse.
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