PARIS – The racist abuse suffered by AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan at Udinese and Coventry City midfielder Kasey Palmer in an English second-tier match at Sheffield Wednesday were just the latest examples of the ugliness plaguing football.

Fifa chief Gianni Infantino described the incidents as “totally abhorrent” and demanded the implementation of an automatic forfeit of games for teams whose fans commit racist abuse.

AFP Sport looks at the issues in Europe’s top five leagues:

Italy

Racism in Italian stadiums is nothing new, but several incidents have recently been highly publicised due to the personalities.

Marc-Andre Zoro of Ivory Coast was one of the first to take a stand in 2005 when he picked up the ball and prepared to leave the pitch. His Messina teammates convinced him to return.

Samuel Eto’o, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Mario Balotelli and most recently Romelu Lukaku have also been victims of racism.

The incident on Jan 20 was depressingly familiar for Frenchman Maignan – in 2021, he was targeted by Juventus fans.

“I am neither the first nor the last to whom this will happen. As long as these events are treated as ‘isolated incidents’,” Maignan said.

Spain

Real Madrid’s Brazilian attacker Vinicius Jr has been the target of recurring racism. After his effigy was hung from a bridge in the Spanish capital by Atletico Madrid fans in 2023, four people were charged with a hate crime.

Barcelona striker Eto’o endured a barrage of vitriol from Real Zaragoza fans in 2005, being subject to monkey chants and having peanuts thrown at him.

Eto’o danced in front of his tormentors after scoring in the 4-1 win.

In 2014, after a banana was thrown at him, Brazil’s Dani Alves picked it up and ate it slowly before taking a corner.

England

England internationals Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were all targeted after missing their penalties in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

In October 2023, the English football authorities launched another campaign against racism.

They vowed to “continue to put pressure on social media companies to do more to eliminate hate from their platforms”.

However, Coventry’s Palmer was doubtful of any lasting improvement, writing on X: “It feels like things will never change, no matter how hard we try.”

France

Ligue 1 has recently suffered several episodes of violence between football hooligans, but racist behaviour appears rarer than in Spain or Italy.

A recent incident, however, caused great debate. Two Lyon supporters are being prosecuted for making Nazi salutes and shouting racist abuse at Marseille in October 2023.

A few days earlier, in the third division, a Nancy supporter made monkey chants during a match against Red Star. The club identified the individual and handed him a five-year stadium ban.

Germany

Germany has cleaned up its stadiums, at least in the Bundesliga, but racism is expressed on social media.

In 2023, Bayern published statements of support for French players Dayot Upamecano and Mathys Tel, victims of online attacks after poor performances.

The last serious incident dates back to 2021, and also demonstrates the sensitivity of the Germans on the issue.

A third-division match was called off after half an hour following monkey chants from a spectator. Both clubs, Duisburg and Osnabruck, backed the decision. AFP