Kick It Out Criticises Millwall's Neil Over Stoppage Comments
Anti-racism group Kick It Out rebukes Millwall manager Alex Neil for saying stopping play over alleged racist abuse kills momentum, while Swansea's Vitor Matos praises the referee's protocol.
Anti-racism campaign group Kick It Out has criticised Millwall manager Alex Neil after he questioned the decision to halt his side's Championship match against Swansea City when an accusation of racist abuse was reported. The game at The Den was stopped for seven minutes in the second half after alleged discriminatory chants were directed at Swansea substitute Ji-sung Eom. The Metropolitan Police are investigating.
Referee Edward Duckworth paused the match after consulting both sets of coaches and waiting to pass a message to Millwall's safety officer. An announcement over the stadium speakers confirmed the alleged racism and said police would use CCTV to identify offenders. Neil told BBC Radio London that while the incident needed to be dealt with, stopping the game "doesn't deal with anything" and only kills momentum, adding that authorities would handle it after the event regardless.
Kick It Out responded that player welfare must always take precedence over the momentum or flow of a match. The organisation, which has campaigned against racism in football for more than 30 years, said it was essential for managers and leaders to set the tone with their language so everyone can stand up to discrimination. It also expressed disappointment at the reported abuse and welcomed that both clubs and match officials followed the correct protocols to identify those responsible.
Millwall said they were aware of an alleged individual incident of discriminatory abuse toward a Swansea player and that the club operates a zero-tolerance policy. Any individual found to have engaged in such behaviour will face the strongest possible action, the club added. Swansea head coach Vitor Matos praised the referee and Millwall staff for their handling of the situation, saying the referee did the right thing by following protocol and that Millwall did the right thing by announcing there is no place for such behaviour.
After the restart, Millwall conceded a 90th-minute goal and lost 1-0. Neil acknowledged that if his team had scored, he probably would not have felt the same way about the stoppage. The contrasting reactions highlight ongoing debate over how to balance player protection with match flow when discrimination is reported.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
