A fan who was at the Kallang Football Hub for a Singapore Youth League Division 1 match between ACTIVESG FA (AFA) and Balestier Khalsa U15 on 2 November has been accused of engaging in racial abuse.
TMSG was first alerted to the incident through a reader who submitted details from the venue as it was happening.
It is alleged that the fan kept calling out to one of the players in the AFA U15 side and uttered repeatedly, “Are you a N****?”
A video from the match has also been recorded.
It has since been confirmed that the accused is a parent of a player who is from Balestier Khalsa.
If the match was held at Kallang Football Hub, there is also a chance that CCTV cameras should be able to identify the alleged perpetrator.
The player in question is of partial African descent and TMSG will not name the player to protect him from any future abuse.
The witness also added that Daniel Bennett, who is the coach of the AFA side, was seen confronting the fan at the end of the match over the incident, demanding an apology.
It is also not known if the fan who allegedly uttered the racial abuse, has apologised for his actions.
It is also not known if the match officials for the match have submitted a report to the Football Association of Singapore to include details of the incident.
Bennett, a former national defender, did not respond to TMSG’s queries through social media.
On 3 November in the morning, TMSG also received more information about the incident from an additional source, who added that AFA U15 players were upset and concerned about the abuse.
“The players are disturbed that these kind of incidents can happen in Singapore, and in a competition meant for youth,” said the informant.
TMSG has also reached out to Balestier Khalsa and will update this story.
Balestier has since updated its socials of the match result.
BALESTIER RESPONDS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA POST
In a social media update at about 2.00pm, Balestier Khalsa said that it condemned any form of racial abuse.
Club vice-chairman Darwin Jalil said that the “our management has engaged the relevant parties and spoken to representatives from our opponent to mediate the matter.
“Identities of the individuals will be kept confidential to protect the minors involved in the incident.”
See club’s full statement here.
*STORY UPDATED AT 10.47am
*STORY UPDATED AT 2.20pm