Championship coach criticised by anti-racism charity after footballer abused

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FT Desk

Millwall manager Alex Neil has been criticised for his reaction to an opposition player being racially abused in a game on Tuesday.

During the Championship match between Millwall and Swansea, referee Edward Duckworth halted play for seven minutes to discuss an incident with Neil and Swansea manager Vitor Matos. The stoppage followed reports that Ji-sung Eom had been subjected to abuse while warming up as a substitute on the touchline.

Millwall would go on to lose the game 1-0 after a last-minute winner from Ronald, and Neil said post-match that he believed the stoppage in play hurt the momentum of his team as they pressed for a goal.

"I understand there's been an incident. It's not something I'm going to get involved in," he said.

"That'll be for the authorities to deal with. But the fact that it stops the game for 15 minutes, | just don't see the point. It needs to get dealt with, absolutely, but stopping the game doesn't deal with anything. All it does is kill the momentum...

"Listen, if we score l probably don't feel this way, but that's how I feel just now."

Millwall stated they were "aware of an alleged, individual incident of discriminatory abuse towards a Swansea City player during the second half" of the game.

"The club operates a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discriminatory abuse. Any individual found to have engaged in such behaviour will face the strongest possible action," the club added.

"The club is working alongside the relevant authorities to establish the facts and is unable to comment further as tonight's alleged incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which the club fully supports."

Anti-racism campaign group Kick It Out have said that Neil's comments weren't productive and that managers everywhere need to "set the tone" when it comes to eradicating incidents of racial abuse.

A statement from Kick It Out said: "Player welfare should always take precedence over the momentum or flow of a match, and it's essential that managers and all leaders recognise this and set the tone with their language so that everyone can stand up to discrimination.

The second half of Millwall's 1-0 defeat to Swansea was paused for around six minutes after a report of racial chanting at the Den

Lions boss Alex Neil says the stoppage didn't help his team 🦁

Listen in full 📲https://t.co/xxsssi1HJr

#Millwall #BBCFootball https://t.co/fYUXEdpiq7

— BBC Sport London (@BBCLondonSport) October 13, 2026

"Both clubs have condemned the incident, and it's positive that Millwall and match officials followed the right protocols so that action can be taken to identify any individual responsible..

"In that moment, protocols are in place to help match and security officials respond appropriately.

"That ensures that players are protected and key details are captured so that accountability can follow, regardless of how long it takes."