PSG and Istanbul coach salute players' "solidarity" against racism

Reuters Videos
Updated

VIDEO SHOWS: PSG COACH THOMAS HUCHEL SAYING TEAM IS VERY HAPPY AFTER NEAR-PERFECT MATCH AND DECISION TO LEAVE MATCH WAS STRONG GESTURE / STILLS OF PLAYERS DURING MATCH / ISTANBUL BASAKSEHIR COACH OKAN BURUK SAYING RACISM IS UNACCEPTABLE AND PRAISING PLAYERS' UNITY

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS:

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (UEFA - NEWS USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO COMMERCIAL USE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY "©UEFA 2020")

1. (SOUNDBITE) (French) PSG COACH, THOMAS TUCHEL, SAYING:

"They (the players) made a strong decision yesterday. They showed solidarity with their adversary. It is a strong decision, a very brave decision. In the dressing-room, it was very clear that they wanted to show that reaction."

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

2. STILL PHOTO OF PLAYERS WEARING JERSEYS READING (English) "No to racism"

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (UEFA - NEWS USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO COMMERCIAL USE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY "©UEFA 2020")

3. (SOUNDBITE) (French) PSG COACH, THOMAS TUCHEL, SAYING:

"For me, it was necessary not to force focus today, not to force focus on the sporting dimension of things. I trusted that it was necessary to talk about yesterday’s situation, to understand each other and to have a lot of respect for other players' opinions."

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

4. STILL PHOTO OF NEYMAR PLAYING

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (UEFA - NEWS USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO COMMERCIAL USE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY "©UEFA 2020")

5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) PSG COACH, THOMAS TUCHEL, SAYING:

"Of course, today was a great performance, a near-perfect match, when it comes to controlling the ball. For this reason, we are truly happy, very very happy and glad that we can finish among the first group."

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

6. STILL PHOTO OF PLAYERS KNEELING WITH RAISED FIST BEFORE START OF THE GAME

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (UEFA - NEWS USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO COMMERCIAL USE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY "©UEFA 2020")

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) ISTANBUL BASAKSEHIR COACH, OKAN BURUK, SAYING:

"When my assistant coach, Pierre Webo, was sent off from the field, a word was said by the assistant referee. Against this word, both Webo and I reacted but it was the first referee that should have reacted. He could have warned the fourth referee and put an end to the tension. But then all the other players heard the word and both teams took a decision on the field. Webo's and Demba Ba's reaction, as well as Neymar's reaction, show how sensitive the players in the field are for themselves and for the whole world."

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

8. STILL PHOTO OF PLAYERS KNEELING

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (UEFA - NEWS USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO COMMERCIAL USE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY "©UEFA 2020")

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) ISTANBUL BASAKSEHIR COACH, OKAN BURUK, SAYING:

"Either we were going to appear on the field together or we weren't coming at all. Some wanted to go back to the pitch but we stuck together as a team and it was eventually a team decision (not to return). That was the decision we took as a team but it was very important that the UEFA found a solution to the problem."

PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 9, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

10. PLAYERS ARM-IN-ARM AT THE END OF THE MATCH

STORY: PSG coach Thomas Tuchel and Istanbul Basaksehir coach Okan Buruk both praised their teams for their show of solidarity against racism, during a press conference that followed the match in Paris, on Wednesday (December 9).

PSG coach Thomas Tuchel backed his players.

"They made a strong decision, they stuck with the other team and made a brave decision," he said. "In the dressing-room it was clear that they wanted to show that reaction."

Tuchel added that the topic was discussed at a team lunch on Wednesday, hours before the game restarted.

"We didn't want to force the team to focus on sport. We had already prepared for the game the day before," the German said. "We realised that it was necessary to understand what had happened, and to show respect for every player's feelings and opinions," Tuchel added.

Okan Buruk also praised the players' unity in their response.

"He told him something that was unacceptable," Buruk told the news conference after his team lost 5-1 to PSG in their final Group H game.

"The main referee (Ovidiu Hategan) should have dealt with the situation but he didn't and we had to show that we stood with Webo," said Buruk. "The decision was made by the players. Some wanted to go back to the pitch but we stuck together as a team and it was eventually a team decision (not to return)."

Buruk said they were helped by UEFA's decision to suspend the game and restart it on Wednesday.

He added that it was Coltescu who should have felt bad after the incident.

The Paris St Germain team followed Istanbul Basaksehir off the pitch in protest after the Turkish club accused a match official of racism on Tuesday.

The Champions League group game was suspended after 13 minutes after the players did not return to the pitch and all of them, as well as the three onfield referees, took a knee in protest against racism before the match resumed on Wednesday.

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

UEFA has launched an investigation into the incident.

(Production: Manuel Ausloos, Michael Brock, Omer Berberoglu)