England’s Under-15 World Cup match against Ireland descended into chaos after an alleged racist incident in Azerbaijan.
Young Lions boss Matt Thorpe withdrew his players in the 40th minute after one of them claimed an opponent had called him a ‘monkey’ moments after the England youngster pushed his opponent in the back.
A member of the Irish backroom staff shouted ‘no, he didn’t’ while the English player remonstrated, sparking a shouting match between the two benches.
The England player approached his bench and waited on the touchline as Thorpe spoke to the fourth official. And just before play could resume, the England coach ordered his team off the pitch.
England were trailing 4-1 at the time but it is unclear whether the incident will affect the result, particularly as the first half was not completed.
England’s Under 15s walked off midway through their World Cup clash with Ireland
The Young Lions claimed one of their players was labelled a ‘monkey’ by an opposing player
FIFA, the FA and the Irish FA have been contacted for comment.
The Young Lions won their first three group games at the experimental eight vs eight tournament 16-1 on aggregate and topped the group before their match with Ireland, who were behind on goal difference.
This is not the first England youth match disrupted by racism allegations. Last year, England’s Under-17s had their friendly victory over Venezuela stopped twice after multiple players were accused of racial abuse.
England are due to be in action again at 16:45, facing Zimbabwe in their final group match.
FIFA have comprehensive rules for dealing with racist incidents. Players who cover their mouths during a confrontation can receive a straight red card.
The rule was introduced after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused of calling Vinicius Jr a monkey while covering his mouth during a Champions League match earlier this year. Prestianni was retrospectively handed a six-match ban for the incident.
Meanwhile, abusive and discriminatory language – if heard by the referee – results in a straight red card.
In July, the FA announced stricter measures to combat on-field discrimination in England, including a minimum 10-match ban for any player found guilty.
FIFA have a three-step procedure to address discriminatory incidents in stadiums, triggered when players make an X symbol to the referee.
Initially, the referee stops the match while spectators are warned to stop the abuse. It then escalates to a temporary pause before eventual abandonment if the conduct continues.
That protocol was notoriously implemented during England’s 6-0 European Championship qualifying victory away to Bulgaria in 2019 when England’s black players were tormented by monkey chants and Nazi salutes from the home support.
The game was stopped twice in the first half but the Three Lions opted to finish the game, having walked off the pitch just before half time.
