Not even a friendly match can keep racial abuse out of football, it seems. Britain’s anti-discrimination group Kick It Out is reportedly investigating online racial abuse meted out against Singaporean referee Sukhbir Singh, who was the match official in the International Champions Cup (ICC) pre-season friendly between Inter Milan and Chelsea last Saturday (Jul 29) at the Singapore Sports Hub.
According to Channel NewsAsia, members of the public notified Kick It Out of the comments directed at the referee. The case is currently being investigated by its reporting officer in liaison with the authorities.
After the match ended in a 2-1 victory for Inter Milan, netizens had attacked Singh for awarding Inter Milan a controversial penalty and ruling a goal offside after Chelsea player Michy Batshuayi hit the back of the net, which video replays show was incorrect.
On Twitter, netizens condemned the 33-year-old FIFA international referee’s performance and made comments on his ethnicity. No further details were revealed as the incident is under investigation.
