The match between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir was originally scheduled on 8th December but an unfortunate incident in the 13th minute caused the match to be suspended.
The fourth official, Sebastian Coltescu was charged with uttering a racist slur during the heated row near the benches. Apparently, Coltescu’s words, when translated in English equate to: “The black one over there. This is not possible. Go and identify him. That guy, the black one.”
The match was about to be restarted yesterday but there was no extra official who could officiate in place of Coltescu so it was postponed to 9th December.
Tonight, before the match, both Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir came out together in this fight against Racism. Both teams players warmed up wearing ‘No To Racism’ tshirts.
PSG also put up many banners in their stadium to promote ‘No To Racism’.
During the start of the match all the players and the referees took the knee during the whole duration of the Champions League anthem.
This has been a strong show against Racism. UEFA have also announced that a thorough investigation will be conducted into the matter. They can’t give their verdict based on the allegations alone. But if Coltescu is found guilty, he will be facing a ten-match ban.