Millwall supports police inquiry after alleged racist abuse of Swansea winger Eom

Millwall says it is cooperating with a police investigation into alleged discriminatory abuse during Swansea City’s 1-0 victory at The Den. BBC Sport reported that Swansea head coach Vitor Matos identified South Korea winger Ji-sung Eom as the player targeted during the Championship match.

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The game stopped in the 65th minute, according to the Press Association report published by the Guardian. Referee Edward Duckworth went to the dugouts to consult Millwall manager Alex Neil, Matos and fourth official Ruebyn Ricardo. Play was suspended for almost seven minutes. A subsequent stadium announcement said police were using CCTV to try to identify anyone responsible for the reported racist chanting.

Eom, 24, was named among Swansea’s substitutes and had been warming up beside the pitch, BBC Sport reported. Matos backed the referee’s handling of the incident and said Millwall had acted appropriately in initiating the relevant protocol. He also said Eom was upset and that the Swansea squad would support their teammate as the situation developed.

In a statement reported by the BBC, Millwall described the allegation as an individual incident in the second half. The club said it would take strong action against anyone found responsible for discriminatory behaviour and was working with the authorities to establish what happened. Millwall declined to provide further comment because the police investigation was ongoing, while confirming its support for that inquiry.

On the pitch, substitute Ronald supplied the decisive goal in the final minute, the Guardian’s report said, securing all three points for Swansea. The result left the Welsh side leading the Championship with 23 points from 10 matches. Millwall remained on 14 points after the same number of games, with the late goal deciding a contest interrupted by the complaint.

Swansea’s advantage over second-placed Middlesbrough remained two points after their nearest challengers also won late. The Guardian reported that Neto Borges scored in stoppage time to give Middlesbrough a 3-2 victory at Stoke, extending their unbeaten run to five matches. Those results kept the top two in the same order on a night when both needed late winners.