Kick It Out challenges Alex Neil over stoppage after alleged racist abuse

Kick It Out has criticised Millwall manager Alex Neil after he questioned the decision to stop a Championship match following allegations of racist abuse towards Swansea City's Ji-sung Eom. According to BBC Sport, the anti-racism organisation said protecting players must take priority over the flow of a game and urged managers to show leadership through their public comments.

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Tuesday's match at The Den was halted for seven minutes midway through the second half after reports of discriminatory chants aimed at Eom, who was a Swansea substitute. The Metropolitan Police is investigating the allegations. Referee Edward Duckworth spoke at length with coaches from both teams and paused play while seeking to relay a message to Millwall's safety officer.

A stadium announcement subsequently acknowledged the reports of racist chanting and said police were using CCTV to try to identify anyone responsible. Swansea went on to win 1-0 through a goal in the 90th minute. Neil told BBC Radio London afterwards that the alleged incident needed to be addressed, but argued that interrupting play did not resolve it and instead disrupted the match's momentum.

Neil said the authorities would handle the matter and explained that his frustration centred on wanting the game to resume. He also acknowledged that his reaction might have been different had Millwall scored. Kick It Out, which has campaigned against racism in football for more than three decades, expressed disappointment at the reports concerning Eom and rejected the suggestion that match momentum should take precedence over player welfare.

The organisation welcomed the response of both clubs and said Millwall and the officials had followed the appropriate procedures. It explained that stopping play enables match and security personnel to respond, protect players and record information that can support subsequent action. Both clubs had condemned the incident, according to the group's statement reported by the BBC.

Millwall said it was aware of an alleged individual incident of discriminatory abuse and reiterated that anyone found responsible would face the strongest action available to the club. Swansea head coach Vitor Matos praised Duckworth and Millwall's staff for their handling of the situation. He supported the referee's use of the protocol and the stadium announcement, while expressing sadness about the incident.