Referee ends football match after xenophobic chants, a first in Romania

A football match between OSK Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and U Craiova 1948 was stopped due to the xenophobic chants, a first in Romanian football.

The game, held in Sfântu Gheorghe, was initially paused for 10 minutes by referee Andrei Chivulete due to the xenophobic chants coming from the spectators. The players were sent to the dressing room and the stadium announcer repeatedly said over the PA system that the game would be ended if the chants continued.

The game resumed but was stopped again, in accordance with the regulations, after only two minutes, as the chants coming from the stands continued. The regulation regarding xenophobic chants states that the team responsible for the incidents will lose the match 3-0, and if both teams' supporters are responsible, then both teams will lose with the same score, according to HotNews.

Threatened with losing the game, U Craiova issued a statement distancing themselves from the fans' attitude. In a post on social media, U Craiova claimed that the host team, OSK Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, is responsible for organizing and managing the supporters.

President of the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) Csaba Asztalos said that the body is waiting for the decision of the football federation and committees before getting involved in the case. He also said that no complaint has been registered with CNCD until now.

Asztalos welcomed the referee's decision to interrupt the football match. "It's a first, but he applied the regulations. I welcome this decision. Games have been stopped before, but not definitively," the president of CNCD added.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Alex Nicodim)