England Under-15s walk off pitch against Ireland in World Cup after racism allegation

Match in new Fifa competition abandonedEngland players refuse to resume match

England abandoned their Under-15 World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland on Monday after a player reported being subjected to a racist slur. Fifa confirmed it was investigating what happened in the final minute of the Group C fixture in Baku, Azerbaijan, when Ireland were leading 4-1.

Footage showed an England player approaching the bench after an altercation. He is believed to have alleged an opponent called him a “monkey” and raised a complaint with the coaching staff, prompting England’s head coach, Matt Thorpe, to approach the referee.

Thorpe was seen asking the referee to come over before instructing his players to leave the field. One of England’s assistant coaches subsequently told the referee: “We are reporting racism”, adding that the team did not want to continue playing.

When another official approached to discuss the next steps, the assistant coach reiterated that England’s players did not want to resume the match. He also said a player was upset by the incident. Footage later showed heated exchanges between members of the coaching teams, with representatives from each side saying they were seeking to protect their players.

“Fifa is aware of an incident at the Under-15 World Cup and Festival match between England and the Republic of Ireland,” said a spokesperson for world football’s governing body. “The match was abandoned by the referee following England’s refusal to continue.”

The spokesperson said the official reports were being collected and that the matter would be referred to Fifa’s independent disciplinary committee, which would decide on any further action.

The Football Association has not commented, but is understood to be waiting for more information. It is said to be taking the matter seriously and providing support to players and staff. The Football Association of Ireland has been contacted for comment.

The inaugural Under-15 World Cup involves 189 countries and territories. Games are played in an eight-a-side format on smaller pitches, with two 20-minute halves.

England, who had won their three previous matches against Cambodia, Montenegro and Nicaragua, faced Zimbabwe later on Monday, while Ireland were due to play Cambodia. Only the group winners will progress to the top-tier competition this week, with the rest of the teams divided into separate tiers depending on where they finished.

Before the tournament, Fifa described it as “unrivalled in scale or ambition”. More than 3,000 players are taking part in 950 matches, with each team playing a minimum of nine games. Arsène Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global football development, described it as giving “players from across the world the chance to compete, to learn and to grow”.