The League Two match between Forest Green Rovers and Scunthorpe United this afternoon was stopped after an alleged racist incident.
Alleged Racist Incident Stops League Two Game Between Forest Green Rovers and Scunthorpe United
The Incident
Match referee John Busby halted proceedings in the second half, with visitors Scunthorpe leading the game 2-0 at that point, through goals from Alex Gilliead and Abo Eisa. He proceeded to talk to both managers before an announcement was made around the ground on the public address system.
Tony Coliver, who was reporting on the game for Sky Sports, said on air: “The tannoy announcement stated that it would not be tolerated.
“I’m not sure what exactly the situation is but if it happens again I think both teams will have to come off. Certainly a very unsavoury incident.”
Neither side made any mention of the incident in their live Tweets of the game, not even mentioning that there was an extended break in play. Rovers, though, reference “after the referee had spoken to both benches” in their match report.
It’s not yet clear which set of supporters were producing the racist behaviour, especially as both clubs are yet to make any comment on the matter.
The Three-Step Protocol
The three-step protocol has been bandied about a lot recently after the racist incidents that the England national team had to endure in their Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria.
It begins with the referee stopping the match and instructing the stadium authorities to make an announcement over the address system warning the fans to stop.
Step two sees another announcement made, with the referee then temporarily suspending the match and withdrawing the players from the field, while step three is potentially abandoning the game altogether if the behaviour does not desist.
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