Basaksehir's Webo says December 8 was a milestone against racism

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SHOWS: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (DECEMBER 10, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF TURKISH AIRLINES PLANES PARKED ON TARMAC

2. VARIOUS OF BASAKSEHIR PLAYERS LEAVING ISTANBUL AIRPORT

3. BASAKSEHIR'S ASSISTANT COACH PIERRE WEBO LEAVING ISTANBUL AIRPORT

4. VARIOUS OF WEBO AT NEWS CONFERENCE

5. BASAKSEHIR OFFICIALS LISTENING

6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BASAKSEHIR'S ASSISTANT COACH PIERRE WEBO, SAYING:

"What the referee said was that everyone had heard and seen everything on TV. (FOLLOWED BY TURKISH TRANSLATION). As a holder of a UEFA professional licence, he crossed the line when it came to values, especially for a referee. (FOLLOWED BY TURKISH TRANSLATION). I would like thank everyone who supported me, including our club's President (Goksel Gumusdag), over what happened this day, December 8th; and also (Turkish) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was one of the pillars of support during this moment of great difficulty."

7. CAMERAMEN FILMING

8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BASAKSEHIR'S ASSISTANT COACH PIERRE WEBO, SAYING:

"From now on, there is a 'before and after' December 8."

9. REPORTERS LISTENING

10. WEBO LEAVING

11. POLICEMEN MOUNTING SECURITY

12. WEBO LEAVING

13. VARIOUS OF WEBO IN BUS

14. BUS LEAVING

STORY: Basaksehir's assistant coach Pierre Webo said on Thursday (December 8) the historic walkout after the incident during Tuesday's (December 8) Champions League match against Paris St Germain was a milestone in the fight against racism.

"Today, there is a before and after December 8," Webo told reporters at the airport upon his arrival in Istanbul.

The incident was sparked when Webo, Basaksehir's assistant coach, was shown a red card for protesting against a refereeing decision with the Turkish side alleging that the Romanian fourth official Sebastian Coltescu had used a racist term towards the Cameroonian.

The match was abandoned after 13 minutes when the players of both teams walked off in protest.

The four Romanian match officials were replaced by UEFA for Wednesday's (December 9) match re-start.

Paris St Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir players, as well as the three onfield match officials, took a knee before the Champions League game resumed.

Taking a knee was popularised by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016 and has gathered steam as an anti-racism protest following the death in police custody of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.

(Production: Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Yesim Dikmen)