England walk off after reporting racism at U-15 World Cup
The English team left the field during its match against the Republic of Ireland after a complaint from one of its players. FIFA will review the incident.
England walked off the field Monday, Oct. 26, during its match against the Republic of Ireland at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, after one of its players reported an alleged racist insult from an opponent.
The incident took place in the final minute of the match, with Ireland up 4–1. Following an exchange between players, the English player went to his bench to report what had happened. The coaching staff relayed the complaint to the referee and said their players did not want to continue.
Head coach Matt Thorpe called his team off the field and the match was suspended. During the dispute, there was also an exchange of words between members of both coaching staffs.
The case will be referred to FIFA's independent Disciplinary Committee.
FIFA confirmed it is gathering the official reports and that the case will be referred to its independent Disciplinary Committee. The complaint remains under investigation, and no ruling has yet been announced on the incident or on its consequences for the result.
The match was part of Group C. England had won its previous three matches, against Nicaragua, Montenegro and Cambodia.
This is the first edition of the tournament, which runs from Oct. 24 to 30. Matches are played with eight players per side and two 20-minute halves.
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