Racism in football at a ‘tipping point’ after PSG vs Istanbul Basaksehir and Millwall incidents, says Rio Ferdinand
Uefa have promised a ‘thorough investigation’ into the allegations and have confirmed the match will be completed on Wednesday with a new team of officials
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Rio Ferdinand says football is at a”tipping point” following Istanbul Basaksehir’s decision not to play their Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain due to an allegation of racism against a match official.
Players walked off the pitch as the match reached the 13th minute when fourth official Sebastian Coltescu was accused of using racist language towards Basaksehir’s assistant coach Pierre Webo, which resulted in a heated confrontation on the sideline at the Parc des Princes.
The Group H match will be resumed on Wednesday night after Uefa confirmed that the match was temporarily abandoned on Tuesday, with a “thorough investigation” promised by the European governing body.
The incident comes days after some fans at Millwall's English Championship match against Derby County booed the players when they took a knee in support of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement on Saturday.
"We're at a disturbing tipping point," former England international Ferdinand told BT Sport. "We've got Millwall, the PSG game today, all in the same week. Not a week goes by at the moment without an incident involving race.
READ MORE: PSG vs Istanbul Basaksehir abandoned due to racism allegation
"We're at the point now where something needs to be done, we're saying it all of the time, but the powers that be within this game need to make a huge stand."
Uefa said the game will be played on Wednesday with a new team of match officials taking charge.
PSG playmaker Neymar posted a picture of himself on Twitter alongside the caption: 'Black Lives Matter' while teammate Kylian Mbappe expressed his support for Cameroonian Webo.
"SAY NO TO RACISM," he wrote on Twitter. "WEBO WE ARE WITH YOU."
Former Australia striker John Aloisi was angered by the incident but praised the action taken by the players.
"It is very powerful. Let's hope it's a turning point," Aloisi said on Optus Sport's coverage.
"I played with Pierre Webo, a great guy, to see him get so angry. It hurts."
Reuters
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