Newcastle vs Sunderland halted for alleged racist abuse of Lutsharel Geertruida
The match was stopped for three minutes early in the second half after Geertruida was the victim of alleged racist abuse from the crowd, with the Premier League quickly releasing a statement
The Tyne-Wear derby between Newcastle and Sunderland was briefly halted after allegations of racist abuse from the crowd towards Sunderland defender Lutsharel Geertruida. Five minutes into the second half, the Premier League encounter at St James’ Park was paused by referee Anthony Taylor , who called both teams’ captain over to the dugout to discuss the situation with the respective benches. There was already a break in play after Newcastle centre-back Sven Botman was caught by a high boot, for which he was forced off as a concussion substitution, and Sunderland skipper Granit Xhaka took the opportunity to run over to Taylor and alert him to the abuse of Geertruida – the Dutch defender on loan with the Black Cats from RB Leipzig – that had come from the crowd.
Referee Anthony Taylor discussed the incident with both benches (Getty Images) The game was stopped for three minutes, in line with the competition’s on-field anti-discrimination protocol, and only resumed after Taylor had spoken to Geertruida, Xhaka and both teams’ benches. The Premier League quickly released a statement confirming that the incident will be fully investigated. “Today’s match between Newcastle United and Sunderland was temporarily paused during the second half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida,” read the statement.
“This is in line with the Premier League's on-field anti-discrimination protocol. The incident at St James’ Park will now be fully investigated. “We offer our full support to the player and both clubs.
Racism has no place in our game or anywhere in society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. ” Lutsharel Geertruida could ultimately celebrate a Sunderland win over their bitter rivals (Getty Images) The match was the first Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park since 2016 and the build-up was marred by violent clashes between both sets of fans outside the stadium.