AC Milan’s Bakayoko breaks silence on being held at gunpoint by police: ‘Have problem with methodology used’

AC Milan midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has broken his silence after being held at gunpoint by the Italian police while driving on the streets of Milan earlier this month. In what was a case of mistaken identity, Bakayoko’s car was stopped in downtown Milan and he was asked to get out of the vehicle before being searched by a group of police officers.

He was pulled out of his car at gunpoint while two officers stood pointing guns towards his vehicle with a couple of his friends inside. Bakayoko was mistaken for a shooting suspect as a shooting incident had taken place in the area hours before, as per the Milan Police and Bakyoko’s appearance matched that of the description of the suspect with them.

A video of the incident which took place on July 3 went viral on social media earlier this week after being shared by an Italian reporter on Twitter. In the video, the AC Milan midfielder can be seen standing with his hands up as a police officer checks his pockets and places his stuff on top of a patrol car.

It was only after another police officer informed the one conducting the check on Bakayoko that he was a footballer, who played for the local club AC Milan that the French midfielder was let go of as the matter de-escalated. Bakayoko has now opened up on the incident for the first time and slammed the Milan Police for the manner in which he was held at gunpoint.

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The 28-year-old midfielder, who is on a two-year loan to AC Milan from English Premier League club Chelsea, said he has no issues with the error made by the police officers but has a problem with the manner and the methodology used by them. Bakayoko said had he not kept his cool, the consequences could have been worse.

“The error is human, I have no problem with it, on the other hand, I have a problem with the manner and methodology that were used,” Bakayoko said in a video posted on his Instagram account.

 

“The consequences could have been so much more serious if I had not kept my cool,” he said. “What would have happened if I hadn’t had the chance to do the job I do and be recognised in time? What would have been the aftermath of all this,” he added.

Bakyoko was part of AC Milan’s Serie A-winning squad last season but didn’t have a great season on the personal front. He is likely to leave Milan this summer and get a permanent move away from Chelsea. 

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The French midfielder, who has now lived in Milan for a year, said the footage shown in the video that has surfaced online is the ‘calmest’ part of his interaction with the police officers and that he feared for his life during the incident.

“You have to know that I found myself with the gun a meter away from me… They clearly put our lives in danger,” said Bakayoko.