No word on the racist abuse, though
AC Milan duo Tiemoue Bakayoko and Franck Kessie have been handed hefty fines for their part in a controversial prank. The midfield pair held up the shirt of Lazio player Francesco Acerbi in front of their fans good at the San Siro after beating Lazio 1-0. The gesture has since been widely criticised, and the Italian football authorities have come down hard on the Milan and the players involved for ridiculing an opponent.
A settlement has been agreed, and the players will pay fines of €33,000 each while Milan will pay an extra €20,000.
Damian Tommasi, president of the Italian Footballers’ Association, has previously condemned the actions of Bakayoko and Kessie, saying: “Personally I had never seen such a superficial, light gesture against every fair-play label. The exchange of jerseys has always been a moment of enormous significance for me a very competitive world.
“For a sportsman, there is no greater gratification than a colleague’s esteem. The heirloom becomes the emblem of the ‘I played with…’ that smacks of history and of ‘I will be able to tell my children ‘. Francesco Acerbi’s 33 [shirt] has become, for a few minutes, the opposite of what it is.
“This is why the gesture made by Kessie and Bakayoko is as incomprehensible as it is depressing. They understood it too late, but they understood it and we are all aware of the slip they made.”
No action has yet been taken against the Lazio fans who sang racist chants about Bakayoko during their match against Udinese on Wednesday, though. Despite video footage of the abuse circulating on social media, CalcioMercato report that ‘from sources close to the prosecutor’s office, it seems that there is no intention to open an investigation.’
