During the press conference that took place yesterday afternoon during the Federal Council meeting, the president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, spoke out for the first time on the Mike Maignan case following the unfortunate incidents in Udine. Here are his statements:
"Was honorary citizenship denied to Maignan? I'm sorry because it's another opportunity our country has lost to send a new and different signal, but these are political decisions in which I don't delve into. From the very beginning, we expressed our utmost solidarity with Maignan. We believe that the federation has truly done everything it could to make its rules as comprehensive as possible on an international level. We regret it for the city of Udine, for Friuli, because if there is a cosmopolitan society like Udinese, it seems strange that the label of a racist reality could be attributed to them. I know that Maignan is very calm. He appreciated the unity of the football and sports world that showed solidarity towards him."