England Under-15s Walk Off Against Ireland After Racism Allegation

England's Under-15 side abandoned their Group C match against the Republic of Ireland at the Under-15 World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday after a player said he had been subjected to a racist slur. Ireland were leading 4-1 when the incident happened in the final minute, and Fifa has confirmed it is investigating what took place.

Footage from the closing moments shows an England player walking towards the bench following an altercation on the pitch. He is understood to have alleged that an opponent called him a "monkey", and he raised the complaint with the coaching staff. England head coach Matt Thorpe then went to speak to the referee, and the England players refused to resume the game.

The tournament is a new Fifa competition for players of this age, which makes the response an early test of how the governing body handles discrimination at youth level. The reports available so far do not say what Fifa will decide about the result or whether any disciplinary action will follow. Racist abuse has long been a problem in football at every level, and incidents involving children are especially difficult for clubs, families and officials to deal with. Any inquiry will need to establish exactly what was said, by whom, and how the match officials dealt with the complaint at the time.