During Tuesday’s game between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir, the fourth official of the game allegedly used racist language towards a black coach from the Turkish side, which led to the Champions League game being suspended after both teams stormed off the field.
PSG and Istanbul were tying the game with no scores when things went wrong for the referee and both teams on the field. At some point in the game, the main referee of the game handed out a red card but he wasn’t sure who else needed to be sent off.
When he consulted with the rest of the crew, the 4th ref of the match, Sebastian Coltescu, allegedly replied, “The Black guy,” referring to Istanbul’s assistant coach Pierre Webo, who wasn’t having any of that and quickly fired back at the judge.
Soccer fans condemn alleged racial abuse in PSG-Istanbul Basaksehir game
As soon as players from both teams realized something was going on between the coach and the referee, everybody gathered around the main referee until Istanbul decided to leave the pitch, followed by the French side.
Of course, everybody condemned these accusations and fans around the world took to social media to express their discomfort, especially knowing that the UEFA has been very vocal against racism in Europe and all the federations that play in their tournaments.
This is, unfortunately, something that keeps happening regardless of how advanced the world and the technology is right now. Some people don’t seem to understand that football is a game and that nobody should be judged or attacked by the color of their skin.
Soccer is about unity, about something bigger than calling people names and chanting racial slurs for players. In recent years, racism has gotten another dimension in Europe and even with all the attempts that UEFA makes to stop these practices, society isn’t ready to understand this.
