Players walk off at PSG amid allegations of racism from fourth official towards Basaksehir coach
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Updated 08/12/2020 at 23:24 GMT
In remarkable scenes in the Parc des Princes, the Romanian fourth official has been accused of racism directed towards a member of Istanbul Basaksehir's coaching staff, with both Paris Saint-Germain and Basaksehir players walking off the pitch in protest, with the match now delayed until 18:55 local time on Wednesday.
Demba Ba (Istanbul Basaksehir) / (Champions League)
Image credit: Eurosport
Both sets of players have left the pitch during PSG-Istanbul Basaksehir after one of the visitors' coaches was reportedly racially abused by the fourth official.
Basaksehir's assistant coach Pierre Webo was shown a straight red card in the 16th minute and the players and staff from the Turkish side left the pitch after about 10 minutes of discussions with referee Ovidiu Hategan of Romania.
Demba Ba, the Basaksehir striker, was seen furiously remonstrating with the officials after the incident and was picked up by pitch-side microphones saying: "You never this say ‘this white guy’, you say ‘this guy’, so why when you mention … listen to me… so why when you mention a black guy [do] you have to say ‘this black guy’?”
The PSG players happily followed their opponents off after it became clear what had occurred, with Presnel Kimpembe, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe all reported to be particularly supportive.
In the wake of both sets of players walking off, Basaksehir chairman Goksel Gumusdag told TRT: "In front of everybody, the fourth official said 'n***o. If the fourth official is withdrawn, we will come and continue the game. If the fourth official remains, we will not go onto the pitch. We cannot remain insensitive to this. If the fourth official stays, we don't come out. We cannot be indifferent to this."
A subsequent UEFA statement read: "Following an alleged incident involving the fourth official, the match was temporarily suspended. After consultation with both teams, it was agreed that the match would restart with a different fourth official”
"UEFA will thoroughly investigate the matter and further communication will be made in due course."
As of 22:45 Parisian time, there was no sign of play resuming, despite players earlier congregating in the tunnel briefly. Reports stated that the offending official would be switch roles with the Italian VAR, a solution that was not satisfactory for the Turkish side. It was subsequently confirmed by the Super Lig champions that their players decided not to re-enter the field after the incident.
The match will now resume on Wednesday at 18:55 CET, according to the French side.
"The meeting between PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir this Tuesday evening was interrupted after 13 minutes of play following racist words from the fourth official towards a member of Basaksehir club staff," the Ligue 1 champions tweeted.
"The match will be replayed on Wednesday at 18:55."
"All forms of racism go against the values of PSG, its president, staff and players."
UEFA subsequently confirmed that the resumed fixture will be played with a new team of officials.
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