UEFA suspend fourth official over PSG vs Basaksehir racism controversy

UEFA have suspended fourth official Sebastian Coltescu after he was accused of racism in Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League clash with Basaksehir in December.

Coltescu will also be forced to attend an educational programme this summer, after being found to have behaved inappropriately.

The group stage encounter, which originally took place at Parc de Princes on 8 December, was abandoned after Basaksehir coach Pierre Webo alleged that Coltescu had used racist language towards him.

It sparked fury among players on both sides, and the two clubs agreed not to resume play with the fourth official on the sidelines. Allegations soon came to light that Coltescu had used the word 'Negru' - which means 'black' in Romanian.

Play was stopped with the the score tied at 0-0 after 14 minutes, and both teams eventually walked off the pitch, resulting in the match being abandoned. It was resumed a day later with a separate set of officials, and PSG won 5-1.

UEFA have since investigated the allegations made by Webo and have found Coltescu guilty of 'inappropriate behaviour', resulting in a ban until the end of the season.

A UEFA statement notes that the Romanian official has not been found to have breached any articles covering racism and other discriminatory conduct, but has been forbidden from officiating until the end of the season.

He will attend an educational programme alongside assistant referee Octavian Sovre - who avoided a ban, but did receive an official reprimand for his role in the controversy.

UEFA said in a statement : "Officials should be adequately and specifically trained to make better decisions on the choice of language and words to be used in UEFA competitions.

"In the international context, correct use of language is essential to avoid situations such as those that occurred in the above-mentioned match."