Tiemoue Bakayoko, on loan from Premier League club Chelsea to AC Milan, was reportedly involved in a frightening traffic stop by Italian police in what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity on the police’s part.
When the French midfielder was driving through Milan with a friend, he was stopped and searched by Milanese police. The 27-year-old was reportedly held at gunpoint while police investigated a shooting. However, police realised they had apprehended the incorrect person and released Bakayoko with a pat on the back.
The incident, which has been confirmed by Milan authorities, is said to have occurred in early July but has only recently come to light after Italian sports journalist Tancredi Palmeri posted the video on his Twitter handle.
“Shocking footage of Milan’s Bakayoko in Milan’s downtown held at gunpoint by police cause taken for someone else,” Tancredi wrote.
“Check when one of cop goes telling to the colleague searching him that it’s not the suspect but a Milan player, and the cop saying “WHO?”, he added.
“The search, happened on July 3, was due to gun shooting happened in the area in previous hours, and the two suspects were two men on a SUV fitting the description, one of the two was black and with green shirt. That’s why the gunpoint,” Milan police was quoted as saying by Palmeri.
The incident has generated controversy, with accusations of racism from the Italian police force, but according to Goal.com, the Milan Police Headquarters say the saga involving Bakayoko was a case of mistaken identity.
(Inputs from IANS)