Millwall’s Championship match against Swansea City was stopped in the second half following an allegation of racist abuse directed at South Korean international Ji-sung Eom. The game at The Den on 13 October was goalless when the referee halted play in the 67th minute.
Swansea later secured a 1-0 win, while police investigate the allegation.
Why Millwall vs Swansea Was Stopped at The Den
Eom was among Swansea’s substitutes and was warming up near the touchline when the alleged abuse occurred. The referee halted the match and spoke with both head coaches and the fourth official. A security supervisor was also present.
An announcement informed supporters that racist chanting had been reported and that police were reviewing CCTV footage as part of efforts to identify those responsible. A message on the scoreboard urged anyone who heard discriminatory language to report it.
Play resumed after a delay of around six minutes.
Swansea and Millwall Respond to Alleged Racist Abuse
Swansea said after the match that it had reported the alleged racist abuse directed at Eom. The club condemned racism and discrimination ‘in all forms’ and thanked the match officials, Millwall and police for their response.
“We stand with Ji-sung, and he has our unstinting love and support,” the club said in a statement.
Millwall said it was “aware of an alleged individual incident of discriminatory abuse towards a Swansea City player during the second half”.
The club said it operates a “zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discriminatory abuse” and that anyone found to have engaged in it “will face the strongest possible action”. Swansea head coach Vitor Matos said Eom was upset by the incident but had the club’s support.
“He is a smart kid; he is not happy with the situation, but he knows we will stay with him and follow the situation as long as we can,” Matos told the BBC.
Matos also praised Millwall for addressing the allegation over the stadium speakers. “Millwall did the right thing by announcing there is no place for this sort of thing. I’m happy with how it was handled, but really sad that it happened.”
Police Investigation and Millwall’s Previous Disciplinary Cases
Millwall said it could not comment further while police investigate the incident. No arrest has been reported, and the details of the alleged abuse remain unclear.
The club described it as an individual incident, while the stadium announcement and match coverage referred to racist chanting. The Football Association could take action after reviewing the referee’s report.
Millwall has previously faced sanctions over discriminatory chanting by supporters. In August 2019, an independent regulatory commission fined Millwall £10,000 and ordered the club to implement an action plan following discriminatory chanting during its FA Cup match against Everton on 26 January that year.
In 2023, another commission ordered an action plan and issued a formal warning over religion-related chanting during a Championship match against Wigan Athletic.
Police and FA updates should be checked before publication to confirm whether any suspects have been identified or whether the governing body has opened a separate investigation.
