Demba Ba was beside herself. The former TSG Hoffenheim professional discussed furiously with the assistant referee who allegedly insulted the guests’ assistant coach during the Champions League game between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday evening.
A few minutes later, both teams left the lawn closed in protest – the game was canceled when the score was 0-0 and is to continue this Wednesday (6:55 p.m.). But the scandal could permanently shake the football world.
The European Football Union (Uefa) announced a “thorough investigation”. In the sights of the investigators: Sebastian Coltescu. The accused had acted as the fourth official in the game that ran for less than 15 minutes.
Demba Ba (center) is beside himself. Marco Verratti, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé try to calm him down
Source: AFP / FRANCK FIFE
The guest’s assistant coach, the former Cameroonian international Pierre Webo, saw the red card, and the racist insult is said to have occurred. The fourth official, Coltescu, was accused of using the racist phrase “Negru” for black people, which in German is now known as the “N word”. This expression could also be clearly heard in the empty Prinzenpark Stadium during the TV broadcast.
In the sights: Assistant Colțescu
But who is this Colțescu, who has been active as a referee for 17 years and who referred to Webo as “Negru”? A few years ago Colțescu spoke about his motivation: “I played as a midfielder at Electroputere Craiova, but I hadn’t reached a good level.” That’s why he became a referee at the age of 19.
A job that would later open many doors for him. After all, thanks to his job, he saw almost all of Europe for free, Coltescu once emphasized. With the travel, it should now be over. The Romanian association FRF distanced itself from the racist testimony of the assistant. “The FRF is waiting for the Uefa report to find out what exactly happened and to act accordingly.”
Sebastian Coltescu (2nd from left) in the center of the action. To his right stands the indignant Demba Ba
Source: AFP / FRANCK FIFE
Csaba Asztalo, the president of the National Council for Combating Discrimination, sharply criticized his compatriot in the sports newspaper “Gazeta Sporturilor”: “The expression ‘negru’ is racist, without any possibility of interpretation. It shows that this referee is completely unprepared for the values and rules of the FRF, Uefa and Fifa. It’s a big stain on Romania and the referee system. ”
Meanwhile, the Romanian online sports newspaper “Pro Sport” reveals that, according to an audio recording, another assistant, namely Octavian Șovre, is said to have racially insulted Webo: “Give the black guy yellow, something like that is impossible. The one over there. The black one over there. That’s not possible, ”Sovre is said to have called to referee Ovidiu Hațegan.
President Erdogan condemns incidents
The scandal has now reached the highest political level. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned “the racist statement against Pierre Webo” and announced via Twitter: “We are unconditionally against racism and discrimination in sport and in all areas of life.”
France’s sports minister Roxana Maracineanu praised the behavior of both teams. “Tonight athletes have made a historic decision against an attitude that they have judged to be unacceptable,” wrote the minister on Twitter late Tuesday evening. You are waiting for the results of the investigation. “But I can only welcome the strong symbolism of your gesture and your solidarity.”
During the live coverage, the outside microphones could be heard as the referee team from Romania tried to defend themselves by arguing that the fourth official had used the Romanian word for black (negru) and not the “N word”.
Strong signal from the players
According to the “Fare” network against discrimination, Romania’s state anti-discrimination authority sees it as racist if a player is addressed by his skin color. Webo, Ba, and others could be heard loudly pointing out that the referees would not have said “the white” to identify a white player either.
“There are no two opinions. This incident shows the need for much better training for officials. Unintentional racism is also racism, ”Piara Powar told the AP news agency. The “Fare” managing director sees the events in Paris as an important signal in the fight against racism.
“The fact that Basaksehir and PSG left the pitch together sends a message in Europe,” emphasized Powar. Many football professionals are tired of half-hearted measures against racism and are more willing than ever to interrupt a game themselves in the event of an incident. The “Fare” network advises Uefa on the prosecution of incidents such as those in Paris.
Nagelsmann concerned
Julian Nagelsmann initially only noticed the incidents in the parallel game in passing. During the game against Manchester United (3-2), he only heard that it was “about insults,” said Leipzig’s coach. “I condemn that in the strongest possible terms. We live in a colorful society, that’s a good thing, something like that shouldn’t happen, not on the soccer field or anywhere else. ”
There had been heated debates on the sidelines in Paris, with the Parisian stars Kylian Mbappé and Neymar standing close to the action for a long time. On TV pictures you can see how Mbappé also spoke with many gestures. The Brazilian Neymar last accused his opponent of racism in the league game against Olympique Marseille in mid-September.
After the guest team from Turkey had gone into the dressing room, the team of the German coach Thomas Tuchel followed a few seconds later and earned respect for it. Say no to racism. M. Webo we are with you “, tweeted Kylian Mbappé. PSG also condemned the incidents in their own stadium: “Any form of racism contradicts the values of Paris Saint-Germain, the chairman of the club, its employees and players.” Thousands of people expressed their solidarity on social networks.
The Boateng and Torunarigha Falls
The solidarity of the players on the pitch was reminiscent of an incident with Kevin-Prince Boateng when he led AC Milan off the field almost eight years ago. After 26 minutes in the Milan friendly against Pro Patria, Boateng had enough. The native of Berlin, then a national player of Ghana, led his team from the field because he and his dark-skinned teammates had repeatedly been racially mocked by opposing fans.
Kevin Prince Boateng (center) leaves the field of play in January 2013 during the friendly match between AC Milan and Pro Patria because of racist chants
Those: dpa / Daniele Mascolo
“After just five minutes there were monkey noises in the stands when I was on the ball,” said Boateng at the time. The game was canceled. Jérôme Boateng’s brother and his team received a lot of recognition for their consistent reaction.
In February, fans of Schalke 04 insulted Jordan Torunarigha with monkey sounds in the DFB Cup match against Hertha BSC. The police started an investigation. The 22-year-old Berlin professional filed a criminal complaint against an unknown person himself. A fine of 50,000 euros was ultimately imposed on Schalke.
As the first consequence of the scandal, the Uefa exchanged the referees. The rescheduling of the abandoned game tonight will be whistled by the Dutch referee Danny Makkelie. The 37-year-old is supported by his compatriot Mario Diks and Marcin Boniek. The Polish Bartosz Frankowski was nominated as the fourth official.
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