The key facts
- England's U15 team left the pitch in the match against Ireland at 4:1 following a racism allegation
- FIFA is collecting official reports and plans to refer the materials to an independent disciplinary committee
- Russia's U15 team advanced to the knockout stage from first place in Group AE: five wins, 15 points, 44 goals scored
Incident in Baku
England's under-15 football team refused to continue their match against Ireland at the FIFA World Cup and Festival in Baku after one of the English players said an opponent had called him a 'monkey'. This was reported by Life.ru. The match was stopped with the score at 4:1 in Ireland's favour.
How the events unfolded
The incident occurred in the final minute of the game. Video footage shows an England player pushing an Irish player, after which a scuffle breaks out. The English player then turned to the coaching staff. England head coach Matt Thorpe discussed the situation with the referee and led the team off the pitch. The broadcast recording captures a member of the England delegation telling the referee about the racism allegation and explaining that the players did not want to continue the match; a heated exchange also took place between the coaching staffs of both teams. The recording of the incident was published on the Robby Richmond account on X.
FIFA investigation
FIFA has opened an investigation and is collecting official reports; the materials are expected to be referred to an independent disciplinary committee. The Football Association confirmed it is in contact with the organization and stressed that player welfare is its priority. The final status of the match and possible sanctions remained unknown at the time of publication.
Russia's team advanced to the knockout stage
Meanwhile, Russia's under-15 youth team completed the group stage of the tournament in Azerbaijan without a single defeat. In their final match, the team coached by Denis Pervushin beat Turkey 4:1 and advanced to the knockout stage from first place in Group AE: five wins in five matches, 15 points. Earlier, the Russians thrashed Sudan (12:0), Sierra Leone (7:0), Djibouti (13:0) and Afghanistan (8:0) — 44 goals scored in total, with only one conceded.
