Sports
England Withdraws From Under-Fifteen World Cup Match After Racism Allegation
World soccer governing body FIFA opens an investigation into the abandoned fixture as tournament officials review official reports.
By Headlinne · Compiled from reporting by BBC, RTE.ie, Guardian and 1 other
England players walked off the field during an Under-15 World Cup fixture against the Republic of Ireland in Azerbaijan on Monday following an accusation of a racist remark, causing the referee to abandon the match.
The confrontation took place in the final minute of the Group C encounter while the Republic of Ireland held a 4-1 lead over their opponents.
The newly established tournament involves teams from 189 countries and territories competing in an eight-a-side format with 20-minute halves on smaller pitches.
An England player approached the bench after an altercation and raised a complaint with team staff, according to the Guardian, alleging an opponent used a racial slur.
Television coverage showed England head coach Matt Thorpe summoning the referee to the touchline before instructing his players to leave the pitch.
Match footage captured an assistant coach speaking directly to the referee during the disruption.
"We are reporting racism," said the assistant coach to the official, adding that the team refused to continue playing.
The assistant coach also informed match officials that a player was upset by the incident as heated arguments broke out between the two coaching groups.
Representatives from both sides stated during the argument that they were attempting to protect their players from harm.
World soccer governing body FIFA confirmed it is examining the circumstances surrounding the abandonment.
"Fifa is aware of an incident at the U-15 World Cup and Festival match between England and the Republic of Ireland," said a FIFA spokesperson.
"The match was abandoned by the referee following England's refusal to continue," the spokesperson added.
Official reports from the fixture are being gathered for review by the independent disciplinary committee, which will determine any further actions.
Neither the Football Association nor the Football Association of Ireland have issued formal statements concerning the allegation.
Tournament organizers face decisions regarding the group standings and potential disciplinary sanctions as the inaugural competition continues.
Reporting from
- BBC NewsNot politically framed
England-Republic of Ireland U15 World Cup game ends over alleged racism
- RTE.ieNot politically framed
Eng v Ire U15 WC match abandoned after alleged racism
- The GuardianBalanced
England Under-15s walk off pitch against Ireland in World Cup after racism allegation
- Yahoo SportsNot politically framed
FIFA launches investigation after racism allegation as England walk out of U15 World Cup game
How this article was made: Headlinne wrote it with AI from the 4 reports listed above. Direct quotes are checked word for word against those reports, every number appears in at least one of them, and no other sentence is copied from one. Photos are from those reports and credited to them. Each report’s page on Headlinne links to the outlet’s original.