Demba Ba Confronts Official In Heated Exchange Over Alleged Racist Comment In PSG Vs Istanbul Basaksehir

Istanbul Basaksehir striker Demba Ba confronted the match official who allegedly made a racist comment in the Turkish side's Champions League clash.

Paris Saint-Germain welcomed Istanbul to the Parc des Princes for the clash on Tuesday as they hoped to punch their ticket to the last 16 of the competition.

But the Champions League match descended into chaos and has been suspended (for the moment at least) after both sets of players walked off the pitch.

Istanbul assistant manager Pierre Webo, who was a Cameroon international, was sent off by the referee before claiming that fourth official Sebastian Coltescu had used a racist term against him.

The club's players showed solidarity with their assistant boss by walking off the pitch, with PSG players also heading down the tunnel.

However, that was before Ba took matters into his own hands and confronted the Romanian official for his alleged comments towards Webo.

The 35-year-old former Newcastle and Chelsea man said: "You never say this white guy, you say this guy.

"So why when you mention me [...] listen to me, why when you mention a black guy, you have to say this black guy?"

Fans have wasted no time in flocking to social media and praising Ba for his heated exchange with Coltescu.

"This is what you call standing up to racism. Well done Demba Ba," one fan tweeted.

While another posted: "My absolute respect to Demba Ba and every player from PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir who has willingly walked off. This is not just a footballing issue, this is a lot more."

A third said: "Demba Ba brilliant to call it out as it was."

And a fourth added: "Demba Ba will go down as a legend in the fight against racism."

Istanbul vs PSG is scheduled to resume without the fourth official who was involved in the incident, according to reports.

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Update: Paris Saint-Germain will play the remainder of their Champions League match against Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday.

UEFA has also confirmed that a new team of match officials will be brought in for the clash, which will kick-off at 5:55pm UK time.

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Featured Image Credit: BT Sport/Twitter

Topics: Football News, UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain, Football, Super Lig, Ligue 1, PSG, Demba Ba, UEFA, Champions League, Parc des Princes

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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