Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir's Champions League game was suspended Tuesday, after one of the officials was accused of making racist remarks toward a member of the Turkish team's coaching staff.
According to the Independent, players from both clubs walked off the field midway through the first half in what appeared to be an act of protest. Video from the game shows Basaksehir's substitute forward Demba Ba confronting the fourth official on the sidelines, questioning why he referred to their assistant manager, Pierre Webo, as "this Black guy."
"You never this say 'This white guy.' You say 'This guy,'" Ba is heard saying. "So why when you mention—listen to me. So why when you mention a Black guy, [do] you have to say 'This Black guy'?"
Basaksehir tweeted that the incident began after Webo recevied a red card in the 14th minute. The Romanian fourth official, identified as Sebastian Coltescu, allegedly called Webo a "negro," which set off the tense exchange.
In a subsequent tweet, the team shared an image with the words "No to racism. Respect."
Following an alleged incident involving the 4th official, the match was temporarily suspended. After consultation with both teams, it was agreed that the match would restart with a different 4th official.UEFA will thoroughly investigate the matter and further communication will be made in due course.”
Both teams remained on the field as discussions took place on the sideline. About 10 minutes later, the players returned to their respective locker rooms. It's unclear when the match will resume.
The UEFA has since released the following statement:
One soccer-savvy account said the ref’s Instagram had been hacked and his bio changed to #notoracism:
