Racism scandal at PSG against Basaksehir: Demba Ba as explanation assistant

In the 14th minute he became confused in the Parisian Prinzenpark.

Basaksehir’s assistant coach, Pierre Webó, should be sent to the stands. To make it clear to head referee Ovidiu Hategan which supervisor should be punished, the fourth official used the word “negru” to identify the offender.

A formulation that infuriated not only Webó himself, but also the head coach Okan Buruk and the entire Turkish substitute bank.

A group of supervisors and players from both teams quickly formed around the referee and his colleague on the sidelines. At first there was a heated discussion and gesticulation, eight and a half minutes later both teams entered the dressing room together, and they were not supposed to return.

A conversation between Coltescu and former Hoffenheim striker Demba Ba, easily understood through the stadium’s microphones, caused a sensation. The 35-year-old, who has been under contract with the reigning Turkish champions since January 2019, tried to make his misconduct clear to the fourth official.

“You don’t call a white player a white player if you give him a card,” Ba explained to the referee. In turn, he argued that the word “negru” was a common description in his language and should in no way be understood as discriminatory.

The forward was celebrated online for his performance, as his simple example shows a deeply rooted problem in society: the classification of the individual.

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