NorthEast United FC rebukes racist incident took place during the semifinals of the Durand Cup 2023

Digital Desk: NorthEast United has criticised suspected racism during the second semifinal of the Durand Cup 2023, which took place on August 30 at Salt Lake Stadium.

"The recent incident of racism, hooliganism, and violence directed towards some of our fans during the Durand Cup semi-final match against East Bengal FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Tuesday deeply disturbs NorthEast United FC." Racism has no place in football or life, and we categorically condemn such behaviour," NEUFC declared in a statement on Wednesday.

"Our fans are an essential part of our team, and we stand united in our opposition to any form of discrimination. We have already brought this to the tournament organisers' and local officials' notice," the statement added.

We'd like to congratulate the Indian Army and local police for acting quickly to apprehend the offenders. "We are also grateful to them for providing adequate security for our fans and escorting them to their desired location," NEUFC remarked.

This observation came after NorthEast United scored the game's first goal, with Michel Zabaco scoring and Konsam Phalguni Singh extending the lead in the second half.

East Bengal, on the other hand, stormed back into the game with goals from Naorem Mahesh Singh and Nandhakumar Sekar, forcing the game into penalties. Disputes between the two groups of fans arose in the second half, with both sides using racist disparaging remarks and abuse.