Adelaide United have called in police after Wellington
Phoenix striker Paul Ifill said he was racially abused by a
section of the crowd during Sunday's A-League match at
Hindmarsh Stadium.
Ifill, among the A-League's elite players, was understood to
have been repeatedly called a racially derogatory term when
substituted in the 61st minute of Wellington's 3-1 loss to
Adelaide.
A Phoenix spokesman said today the club would make no further
comment on the issue after Adelaide called in police.
Wellington coach Ricki Herbert refused to confirm the racial
nature of the abuse.
"It's not for me to confirm or not," he told reporters
post-match.
Ifill said via Twitter that a line was crossed when he was
racially abused by spectators.
"Bad times poor result and racist abuse from a very small
minority of fans #nothappy," the English-born Barbados
international posted.
".... It was a small minority no problem with a bit of banter
but a line was crossed today."
Adelaide United and Football Federation Australia are both
investigating the incident.
Ifill, 33, was born in Brighton in England and played 238
games for English club Millwall, including the 2004 FA Cup
final against Manchester United.
He also had stints at Sheffield United and Crystal Palace
before joining the Phoenix in 2009.
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