Milan Players Racially Abused During Win at Cagliari, Says Pioli

AC Milan's Ismael Bennacer celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. (Reuters)
AC Milan's Ismael Bennacer celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. (Reuters)
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Milan Players Racially Abused During Win at Cagliari, Says Pioli

AC Milan's Ismael Bennacer celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. (Reuters)
AC Milan's Ismael Bennacer celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. (Reuters)

AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and defender Fikayo Tomori were racially abused by Cagliari supporters during their 1-0 Serie A victory in Sardinia, manager Stefano Pioli said.

Maignan was closest to the Cagliari end and was celebrating with Tomori after the final whistle when they were allegedly subjected to racist abuse, which sparked a scuffle between players from both teams.

"This Serie A matchday was dedicated to the stand against racism, but there's still a long road ahead and we must keep on fighting together," Milan tweeted after the match.

Pioli said both Maignan and Tomori told him they received racist abuse from the crowd.

"Mike told me it was possible to hear some insults from behind the goal," Pioli told DAZN. "It's the first time he reacted like that, so something happened. Tomori also told me the same thing.

"It's always said when these things happen, nobody deserves that."

Cagliari striker Joao Pedro said he did not hear any racist abuse and defended the club's supporters.

"I didn't hear anything," he said. "That is a very delicate matter, but I was basically in midfield at the time.

"This is not a pleasant situation to talk about, but I have been here for eight years and I will defend the fans because I did not hear anything."



FIFA to Consider One-off Expansion to 64 Teams for 2030 World Cup

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 General view of the World Cup trophy during the closing ceremony before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 General view of the World Cup trophy during the closing ceremony before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo
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FIFA to Consider One-off Expansion to 64 Teams for 2030 World Cup

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 General view of the World Cup trophy during the closing ceremony before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 General view of the World Cup trophy during the closing ceremony before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo

Soccer's governing body FIFA is to consider expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams to mark the centenary of the sport's marquee event, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

The 2030 World Cup will be held in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, where the inaugural edition was staged, set to host three games.

The World Cup has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams for next year's edition in the US, Mexico and Canada, Reuters reported.

The New York Times said the latest proposal from Ignacio Alonso, a delegate from Uruguay, suggesting expanding the 2030 edition to 64 nations was made at the end of a meeting.

The newspaper, which did not name its sources, said the proposal was met with 'stunned silence' by the participants.

"(FIFA president) Mr Infantino ... described the proposal as an interesting one that should be analyzed more closely," the New York Times added, according to "four people with direct knowledge of the discussions."