Premier League investigating alleged discriminatory abuse in Newcastle-Sunderland game

22 Mar 2026, 16:58 · CNA · Join

Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Sunderland - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - March 22, 2026 Sunderland's Granit Xhaka and Lutsharel Geertruida celebrate after the match as Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe looks dejected REUTERS/Scott Heppell

Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Sunderland - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - March 22, 2026 Sunderland's Chemsdine Talbi celebrates scoring their first goal with Lutsharel Geertruida and Trai Hume Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

NEWCASTLE, England, March 22 : England's Premier League said that it is investigating an incident of "discriminatory abuse" during Sunderland's 2-1 Premier League derby win away to Newcastle United after one of visiting team's players was allegedly racially abused.

The incident occurred early in the second half of the frenetic north-east clash when Newcastle's Sven Botman was being treated for a head injury, causing referee Anthony Taylor to briefly stop the game.

"Today's match between Newcastle United and Sunderland was temporarily paused during the second half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida," the league statement said.

"This is in line with the Premier League's on-field anti-discrimination protocol. The incident at St James’ Park will now be fully investigated. We offer our full support to the player and both clubs."

CNA Games

Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time

Buzzword
Create words using the given letters

Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser

Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge

Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less

Newcastle United also offered their support to the 25-year-old Dutch defender.

"Our stance is clear - we do not tolerate discrimination of any form. We will work with the authorities to fully investigate and will ensure any individuals are identified and held accountable," a Newcastle spokesperson said.

The incident took the shine of a superb second-half performance by Sunderland, who came back from a goal down and snatched the three points with a 90th-minute goal from striker Brian Brobbey.

"He (Geertruida) looks OK. It is unacceptable, and important to report and manage the situation properly. He looks OK, but we need to support him," Sunderland coach Regis le Bris said.

Premier League investigating alleged discriminatory abuse in Newcastle-Sunderland game

Recommended Read

Sign up for our newsletters

Get the CNA app