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.
