PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir players WALK OFF during Champions League clash
PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir players WALK OFF during first half of Champions League clash amid allegations of racism towards Turkish side’s assistant manager by Romanian fourth official – with match in Paris postponed until Wednesday
- WARNING: Some videos below contain language people may find offensive
- PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir players walked off in the first half of their match
- The game was later postponed and will now be concluded on Wednesday night
- Players accused fourth official of racially abusing Basaksehir’s assistant coach
- Pierre Webo was sent off before being allegedly called ‘n****’ by the official
- Fourth official Sebastian Coltescu was accused of racism by a furious Webo
- Demba Ba was livid while Neymar and Kylian Mbappe demanded an explanation
The Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir was abandoned on Tuesday night after both sets of players walked off amid allegations of racism by fourth official Sebastian Coltescu.
The Group H encounter was suspended midway through the first half after an incident on the touchline involving Pierre Webo, Basaksehir’s assistant manager.
After a lengthy delay at Parc des Princes, the game was eventually called off and the remaining minutes will now be played on Wednesday at 6:55pm local time with a new refereeing team in charge.
PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir players walked off as their match was abandoned on Tuesday
Pierre Webo (R), Basaksehir’s assistant manager, was allegedly the victim of racial abuse
Footage from the incident appears to show somebody say ‘n****’ when trying to identify Webo
Fourth official Sebastian Coltescu was accused of making the racist remark on the touchline
A UEFA statement read: ‘Following an incident at tonight’s UEFA Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir, 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.
‘The kick-off has been set at 18:55CET. A thorough investigation on the incident that took place will be opened immediately.’
Webo accused Coltescu of racism after being sent off with footage from the incident appearing to show him saying in Romanian: ‘The black one over there. Go and check who he is. The black one over there, it’s not possible to act like that’ after Webo vehemently protested against a refereeing decision.
Webo was furious on the touchline and had to be restrained by other members of the coaching staff.
He 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.
‘Our players have taken a decision NOT TO go back on the pitch after our Assistant Coach Pierre Webo has been exposed to racist behaviour by the 4th Official,’ Istanbul Basaksehir said on Twitter.
A furious Webo is led away from the touchline by a member of Basaksehir’s backroom staff
Former Chelsea and Newcastle striker Demba Ba was left furious and confronted the officials
Both sets of players left the pitch and returned to the dressing room in a united protest
The Parc des Princes sits empty with both sets of players returning to the dressing room
There was speculation that the match would restart at 10pm local time but PSG players were left waiting for the Turkish side in the tunnel.
Basaksehir players were reportedly refusing to restart if Coltescu continued to participate in the match as a VAR official.
A new fourth official on the touchline would have required Coltescu to continue as a VAR with UEFA rules demanding two officials be in the video review area. However, there was nobody else to fulfil the role.
According to RMC, Demba Ba and Marquinhos planned for both teams to walk back out onto the pitch, hand in hand.
But a number of Basaksehir players were against the idea and they were later seen leaving the stadium and boarding the team bus to return to their base for the evening.
Former Chelsea and Newcastle striker Ba was at the forefront of the Turkish side’s protests before they left the pitch, demanding an explanation from Coltescu for his language.
Members of the Basaksehir staff make their way out of Parc des Princes after the incident
Basaksehir players sit on the team bus as they prepare to make their way back to the hotel
The match will now be concluded on Wednesday with a different set of officials in charge
Ba, a substitute for the Turkish side, charged in the direction of Coltescu to question why he had used the phrase to identify Webo.
He said: ‘You never say “this white guy”, you say “this guy”, so why when you’re mentioning him… listen to me… why when you mention a black guy, why do you say “this black guy”.’
PSG players immediately followed them down the tunnel with the game at Parc des Princes suspended at 0-0.
TV footage also showed PSG’s French defender Presnel Kimpembe saying: ‘Is he serious? We are heading in. We’re heading in. That’s it, we’re heading in.’
Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Marquinhos were all seen on the touchline in discussion with Coltescu. Basaksehir coach Okan Buruk could be heard yelling ‘you are racist’ to Coltescu.
Within minutes of the incident, Basaksehir’s Twitter feed posted a picture of UEFA’s ‘No To Racism’ campaign.
Mbappe later posted: ‘SAY NO TO RACISM. XXX M.WEBO WE ARE WITH YOU’.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter he believed UEFA would take the necessary steps.
‘We are unconditionally against racism and discrimination in sports and in all areas of life,’ he wrote.
Within minutes of the incident, Basaksehir posted a picture of UEFA’s ‘No To Racism’ campaign
Kylian Mbappe posted a message of support to the Basaksehir assistant manager later on
Speaking during BT Sport’s Champions League coverage, Rio Ferdinand said: ‘We are at a disturbing tipping point.
‘Millwall, now this, in the same week, not a week goes by without an incident involving race, something needs to be done, the powers that be need to make a stand.
‘Showing unity [by the players] is a start, but it cannot be left to players.’
Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha told French station RMC: ‘What upsets me that the players are the (only) ones to take a stand.
‘Uefa didn’t… Now Uefa are making ultimatums about restarting the match… it’s like they’re in denial… there’s no sign they are ever going to take this problem seriously.’
PSG’s result will have no impact on Manchester United’s elimination from the Champions League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are definitely out of the competition after their defeat by RB Leipzig with PSG’s head-to-head record against United superior.
However, PSG do need to win to take top spot ahead of RB Leipzig.
