Paris Saint-Germain's UEFA Champions League clash with Istanbul Basaksehir will resume after their Group final Group H match was abandoned following allegations of racism against the fourth official. (More Football News)
The game was initially stopped after 13 minutes at Parc des Princes, Paris with both sets of players gathering on the sidelines for more than 10 minutes. Basaksehir substitute Demba Ba remonstrated with fourth official Sebastian Coltescu, saying: "You never said 'this white guy'. Why, when you mention a black guy, do you have to say 'this black guy'?"
Basaksehir's players then walked down the tunnel, where they were followed by PSG's players and the match officials.
UEFA issued a statement during the delay stating both teams had agreed to resume the match with a different fourth official. However, after a delay of more than two hours the game was finally called off. UEFA confirmed the game will resume on Wednesday at 18:55 CET (17:55 GMT/23:25 IST) from the 14th minute, with a new refereeing team in place.
They also said a "thorough investigation" into the incident would be opened immediately.
Shortly after their players walked off the pitch, Basaksehir's Twitter account posted a message saying the club's assistant coach, Pierre Webo, had been exposed to racist behaviour by Coltescu.
The Turkish side also posted an image stating 'No To Racism', which was retweeted by the official PSG account.
A host of footballers – including PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Presnel Kimpembe – also posted messages with similar sentiments on the social media platform.
Here are the original telecast and match details:
Match: PSG Vs Istanbul Basaksehir, UEFA Champions League, Group H match - Matchday 6
Date: December 9 (Wednesday), 2020
Rescheduled Time: 23:25 IST/ 18:55 CET / 17:55 GMT.
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris, France
TV Channels: Sony Ten 3/HD (Indian Subcontinent).
Live Streaming: SonyLiv
How did the teams start?
PSG playing XI: Navas; Bakker, Kimpembe, Pereira, Marquinhos, Florenzi; Verratti, Rafinha, Paredes; Mbappe, Neymar.
Subs: Kehrer, Di Maria, Rico, Kean, Kurzawa, Herrera, Diallo, Gueye, Letellier, Dagba, Pembele, Fagiga.
Istanbul Basaksehir palying XI: Gunok; Ali Kaldırım, Topal, Ponck, Rafael; Kahveci, Tekdemir, Ozcan; Turuc, Crivelli, Gulbrandsen.
Subs: Babcan, Chadli, Kivanc, Ba, De Paula, Boli, Kaplan, Karakus.
How things stand now?
Thomas Tuchel's side, which lost to Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 final months ago, are set to qualify after former champions Manchester United were defeated 3-2 by last season's semi-finalists RB Leipzig in their final group match.
The German side topped the group with 12 from four wins and two defeats. PSG are second on 10 points* with three wins, one draw and two defeats. United are third with nine points (three wins and three defeats). Istanbul Basaksehir are fourth with four points* (one win, one draw and four draws).
