“No to racism”. ” No to racism “. A clear message, taken from the slogan broadcast by UEFA for several years, echoed in chorus by Istanbul Basaksehir, PSG and until Presnel Kimpembe this Tuesday evening on their social networks. The solidarity of the two clubs is displayed on the Internet as it is displayed in front of television cameras around the world. Because it is a common decision which led to the end of the evening meeting in the Champions League, decisive for the future of the capital club in the competition.
The incident occurred within fifteen minutes of a game without great intensity, without violence, with the exception of two faults by Turkish players punished with a yellow card. Two warnings that annoyed the sidelines of Basaksehir Istanbul, provoking some comments from coach Okan Buruk and his assistants, including Cameroonian Pierre Achille Webo. The latter’s words were deemed too vindictive in the mind of fourth referee, Romanian Sebastian Coltescu. He then called center ref Ovidiu Hategan, 40, used to Champions League group stage fixtures.
And it is at this precise moment that Pierre Achille Webo’s anger explodes. The former Cameroonian international (58 caps) is not going out of hand because of his upcoming exclusion. But after the supposed words of the fourth referee, Sebastian Coltescu. “Why did you say nigga?” He repeated in her face for nearly a minute. A crowd is created between the representatives of UEFA and the Turkish staff. “Why did you say nigga?” », Launches Webo again, very vehemently but retained by his colleagues. The central referee does not seem to understand all the events and still excludes the Istanbul deputy.
Eight minutes of debates at the edge of the pitch
According to information from RMC, broadcaster of the match whose teams are located closest to the field, the term used by the referee would have been “negru”, which means “black” in his mother tongue. A discriminatory qualification that Pierre Webo did not support and which caused an impossible request for explanations in this heckling. In total, eight minutes of debates took place in “public”, at the edge of the field and in front of the cameras.
In the center, a man: Demba Ba. The Senegalese striker, replacing this Tuesday evening, played a decisive role before the provisional stop of the meeting, pronounced in the 24th minute of play. At 11 pm, UEFA had still not officially communicated on the stop final.
Demba Ba, a former Chelsea scorer in particular, explained in particular that the fourth referee would never have used the terms “white guy” (“white man”) if Pierre Achille Webo did not have black skin. Among the players, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, who was himself a victim of racism at the start of the season during the PSG-OM clasico, quickly showed their solidarity with the Turkish team. Leonardo, sports director of PSG, also descended on the lawn. Before the two teams, together, decide to join their locker room.
Shortly after 11 p.m., the Turks left the Parc des Princes
It is then barely 9:30 p.m. After several minutes, a resumption of the match is envisaged at 10 p.m., preceded by a slight warm-up. While accompanying this return to the game by a change of fourth referee, the Romanian Coltescu would have been replaced by an Italian official, in charge of video refereeing. Between 9:50 p.m. and 10:10 p.m., the Parisians made their appearance in the access tunnel to the Parc des Princes, ball to the foot. But the Turkish team never left the locker room. Also according to RMC, Demba Ba and Marquinhos, Parisian captain, would have campaigned to resume the meeting. But the Basaksehir players, in their majority, would not have liked to play again with the same referee body.
Shortly after 11 p.m., the Turks left the Parc des Princes and joined their hotel. Before the meeting is replayed this Wednesday at 6:55 p.m. In the meantime, PSG would be virtually qualified for the round of 16.
Article original de: www.leparisien.fr
