UCL: PSG, Istanbul Basaksehir match abandoned over racist comment
Romanian referee Sebastian Colțescu has been accused of racism during the PSG-Istanbul Bașakșehir football match in the H group of the UEFA Champions League, after calling an assistant coach of the Turkish team as “the black one over there”.
The Champions League game between Paris Saint-Germain and Basaksehir was postponed when players walked off the field on Tuesday after alleging that fourth official Sebastian Coltescu of Romania used the racial term.
Players from the Turkish team were furious after assistant coach Pierre Webo was shown a red card by central referee Ovidiu Hategan of Romania at Parc des Princes, saying Coltescu had used a racial term to describe Webo, who is from Cameroon, before he was sent off.
According to AFP, Coltescu asked Ovidiu Hategan at minute 16 to intervene to clam down Webo, who had been too vehement to one of his decisions. Coltescu identified the assistant coach Pierre Webo as “that Black guy”.
Basaksehir substitute Demba Ba demanded that the fourth official explain himself, while PSG players Neymar and Kylian Mbappe also demanded an explanation. Basaksehir coach Okan Buruk said “you are racist” to Coltescu.
Television footage captured the exchange between the fourth official and the referee, with Coltescu telling Hategan that Webo should be reprimanded for his behavior on the sidelines:
“Go and give it (the red card) to the Black one, this is not possible (tolerable), go and identify him, go verify, the Black one over there,” Coltescu allegedly said, in Romanian, about Webo.
Webo was enraged and was heard to repeat at least six times “Why you say negro?” as he sought an explanation from Coltescu. “He can’t say negro, he can’t say negro.”
UEFA said the match would resume on Wednesday evening with new officials.
“Following an incident at tonight’s UEFA Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Istanbul Basaksehir FK, UEFA has — after discussion with both clubs — decided on an exceptional basis to have the remaining minutes of the match played tomorrow with a new team of match officials,” UEFA said late Tuesday.
“A thorough investigation on the incident that took place will be opened immediately,” it added.
In its turn, the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) announced it expected the report of the UEFA to find out “exactly what happened in order to act accordingly”. “The Romanian Football Federation is strongly separating itself of any racist of xenophobic statement or action”, says a FRF statement.
The incident stirred fierce political and diplomatic reactions, with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan taking stance on Twitter right after the match.
“I strongly condemn the racist remarks against Pierre Webo, one of the members of the technical staff of Başakşehir team and I think that UEFA will take all the necessary actions. We unconditionally are against racism and discrimination in sport and in all fields. #Notoracism”, Erdgoan twitted.
