Millwall manager Alex Neil has criticised the decision to pause his side’s Championship match against Swansea after alleged racist chanting towards Swans substitute Eom Ji-Sung was reported to officials.
Referee Edward Duckworth stopped the game at The Den in the 65th minute, with play suspended for almost seven minutes as the allegation was addressed. Swansea went on to win 1-0 and remain Championship leaders.
Duckworth spoke to Neil, Swansea manager Vitor Matos and fourth official Ruebyn Ricardo near the dugouts. A security guard also attended, while the referee appeared to indicate an area of the stands behind the Swansea dugout.
When the match resumed, supporters were told over the stadium announcement system that racist chanting had been reported. It was added that police were using CCTV to help identify any offenders.
Matos later confirmed that the player involved was South Korean winger Eom, who had been warming up at the time of the alleged abuse.
Neil said he supported action against those responsible but questioned whether stopping the match was the right response.
“I don’t see the point,” he told the BBC after the game. “It needs to get dealt with, absolutely, but stopping the game doesn’t deal with anything. All it does is kill the momentum.
“Listen, if we score I probably don’t feel this way, but that’s how I feel just now.”
Millwall said it was aware of an alleged individual incident of discriminatory abuse and stressed that the club had a zero-tolerance policy towards such behaviour.
“Any individual found to have engaged in such behaviour will face the strongest possible action,” the club said, adding that it was working with the relevant authorities to establish the facts.
Millwall said it could not comment further because the alleged incident was the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which it fully supported.
Swansea thanked the match officials, Millwall and police for the “swift and decisive” way they dealt with the incident. The club said it would follow the relevant protocols and provide assistance during the investigation, adding: “We stand with Ji-Sung, and he has our unstinting love and support.”
