Newcastle United are facing an investigation into alleged racist abuse during the 2-1 derby defeat to Sunderland at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Newcastle United’s 2-1 Tyne-Wear derby defeat has been marred further by allegations of racist abuse directed towards Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida.
Newcastle were leading 1-0 at the time when the match was paused and both managers were consulted by the match officials following a complaint of racism from the Sunderland defender.
The incident is under investigation by both clubs and the relevant authorities.
Premier League issue statement
The Premier League issued a statement following the incident via its Match Centre X account, which read: “Today’s match between Newcastle United and Sunderland was temporarily paused during the second half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida.
“This is in line with the Premier League's on-field anti-discrimination protocol. The incident at St James’ Park will now be fully investigated. We offer our full support to the player and both clubs.
“Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”
Eddie Howe & Regis Le Bris react to incident
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris spoke to Geertruida after the match and confirmed he was ‘okay’ and would be supported.
“We spoke just a bit before the press conference,” he said. “He looks okay, it's not acceptable.
“But it's important to report, and to manage the situation properly. So he looks okay, but we need to support him.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was also asked about the incident as he responded: “Yes, I don't know too much about it. All I can say is that we don't condone racism of any form and the club will investigate.”
Newcastle United under investigation
The FA have confirmed that they are aware of the incident and will work with the clubs and authorities to establish the facts of the incident and ensure the appropriate action is taken.
As the FA does not have jurisdiction over individual spectators unless they are ‘participants’ in football, any disciplinary action will see Newcastle charged as a club.
The FA investigates clubs for almost all crowd issues at fixtures with the investigation involing seeking observations from the clubs in question and agencies such as the local Police.
The FA works to ensure the individual or individuals responsible are identified and dealt with appropriately by the club and, where appropriate, the criminal courts.
The FA may issue disciplinary charges to clubs if the investigations conclude the club did not do enough to deal with or prevent the misconduct of its supporters.
If found guilty, Newcastle could find themselves in breach of FA Rule E20.1 and face a misconduct charge.
“FA Rule E20.1 provides that a Club shall be responsible for ensuring, amongst other things, that its supporters refrain from improper conduct,” FA rules state. “This includes refraining from any improper conduct which includes a reference, whether express or implied to any one or more of the following: ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality, religion or belief, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation or disability.”
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