Original encounter was suspended on Tuesday when the teams walked off in protest after the Turkish club accused a match official of racism; Neymar scored a hat-trick as PSG topped Champions League Group H with a 5-1 victory
Thursday 10 December 2020 09:33, UK
Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir players took a knee and wore 'No to racism' t-shirts before their rescheduled Champions League game, which was suspended on Tuesday when the teams walked off in protest after the Turkish club accused a match official of racism.
UEFA said on Wednesday it had appointed an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to "conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding the incident".
Players from both teams walked off the pitch at the Parc des Princes after Romanian fourth official Sebastian Coltescu was accused of using a racist term when identifying Basaksehir's assistant coach, Pierre Webo, during an incident in the 14th minute of the match.
Two banners carrying anti-racism messages were placed in the Auteuil tribune of the Parc des Princes stadium. The first one read 'Support to Mr Webo... Proud of the players... Against racism', with the second one saying 'Paris united against racism'.
UEFA had two banners of their own with both clubs' logos, reading 'No to racism', one in French and the other in English. Istanbul Basaksehir players came onto the pitch to warm up 45 minutes before kick-off and were soon joined by PSG.
Players from both sides then took a knee ahead of the restart.
Once the game resumed, Neymar scored a hat-trick as PSG topped Champions League Group H with a 5-1 home victory.
Neymar struck three times and Kylian Mbappe scored his first goals in the competition in a year as PSG, who had already qualified for the last 16, advanced from the group stage with 12 points, ahead of RB Leipzig thanks to their better head-to-head record against the German side.
Third-placed Manchester United will play in the Europa League last 32 after picking up nine points.
Basaksehir, who were eliminated from all European competitions before kick-off, finished with three points after Mehmet Topal claimed a consolation goal.
Jose Mourinho believes Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir players walking off and their Champions League match being postponed because of an alleged racist incident could be an "iconic" moment in the fight against racism.
Webo was shown a red card during a heated exchange on the touchline and the match was later suspended, with the game rescheduled for Wednesday with a new team of match officials.
Mourinho admits he is disappointed to see another allegation of racism in football but hopes the match will prove to be a defining moment in the sport's fight against discrimination.
"It's a very sad situation and every form of racism has to be fought. It's never accepted. I'm very sad because we don't want that in football," said the Tottenham head coach.
"I personally know the referee, Ovidiu Hategan. Good guy, very good referee. To be involved indirectly in a game that will become quite iconic is not a nice thing.
"The fourth official, only he can express his feelings. Of course he made an unacceptable mistake but only he can open his heart, apologise and accept the consequences. Probably he is a very good referee.
"Everyone in football and society, we have our responsibilities in relation to these situations and if we make mistakes, we have to accept the responsibilities.
"But more important for me is that that game becomes quite iconic. Champions League, to stop after 15 minutes for a very sad reason, will become iconic and hopefully, in the future, never happens again.
"But as a football guy, I'm very, very sorry that in my industry, that situation happened."
