A friendly football match does not normally attract too much attention. It is mostly used for players to get in form and at for big clubs to visit teams in lower divisions.

In usual circumstances, the Pro-Patria-Milan match of last Thursday week in Italy would not have grabbed the headlines, unless the third tier club beat the Serie A team. But the abandonment of that match because of racial abuse stole attention worldwide.

It was the first time that a match was stopped in the first half because a section of supporters were harassing their opponents’ players because of their skin colour. Milan midfielder Boateng could not take it anymore, and walked of the pitch. His only mistake was to shoot the ball in the supporters’ direction. His team-mates followed suit and his club defended his gesture. Pro Patria will have to play one game behind closed doors because if this behaviour.

 Since then, we have had several reactions from all around. Most agreed with the stand Milan took. The club has said that it is prepared to do it again, even in competitive football, even if it is a game in the Champions League. The Italian federation has taken note of what happened and pledged to fight racism even harder. The professional football players union supported what Boateng did.

Only FIFA president Sepp Blatter did not. The head of world football was singled out for his comments against what Milan did, saying that racism is not tackled by leaving the pitch. Once again, Blatter is the voice in the wilderness. He seems to like being in opposition to what others are saying.

What is true is that the stand taken by Boateng and his team-mates was a signal to the football world that what has been done against racism has not been enough. The punishments imposed for racist behaviour has not managed to eradicate the issue. Nobody had dared the leave the football ground before. Milan did, and by doing so they opened everyone’s eyes to the fact that the football world has not been able to stop this despicable behaviour.

It was a message that Milan wanted to put forward. Perhaps now the authorities will realize that we have arrived at the point of no return. Perhaps they will realize that a game played behind closed doors is not enough to fight the phenomenon. Perhaps Blatter will wake up and understand that it is useless just having adverts promoting anti-racism, and that FIFA must do much more to combat it. And by more we mean suspensions, perhaps even outright dismissal.

Football is a lovely game that is played in all corners of the world. But unless football gives its own example of how society should live together in unity and harmony, then it will lose the right to call itself a “sport”.