Millwall manager Alex Neil has criticised the decision to pause Tuesday night's Championship game against Swansea after alleged racist chanting towards Swansea substitute Eom Ji-Sung. Swansea went on to win the match 1-0, but the game was held up for almost seven minutes after the Welsh club reported an allegation of racist abuse from the crowd to officials.
Referee Edward Duckworth halted the game in the 65th minute and walked to the dugouts to speak with Neil, Swansea counterpart Vitor Matos and fourth official Ruebyn Ricardo. A security guard was also on the scene, with Duckworth seeming to point to an area in the stands behind the Swansea dugout. When play resumed, it was announced in the stadium that police were working to identify any offenders using CCTV. Matos confirmed the player in question was the South Korea winger, who was warming up.
Speaking to the BBC after the game, Neil said: "I don't see the point. It needs to get dealt with, absolutely, but stopping the game doesn't deal with anything. All it does is kill the momentum." He added: "Listen, if we score I probably don't feel this way, but that's how I feel just now."
Millwall released a statement saying the club is aware of an alleged, individual incident of discriminatory abuse during the second half. It said the club operates a zero-tolerance policy and that any individual found responsible would face the strongest possible action. The incident is now the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which the club fully supports.
Swansea thanked the match officials, Millwall and the police for their swift and decisive handling of the incident. The club said it would follow all protocols and assist all parties, adding: "We stand with Ji-Sung, and he has our unstinting love and support."
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing