FA Cup Tie Abandoned as Team Walk Off in Response to 'Racial Abuse' From Yeovil Fans

An FA Cup match between Haringey Borough and Yeovil Town has been abandoned, Haringey walking off the pitch claiming that goalkeeper Douglas Pajetat was racially abused. 

The incident took place during an FA Cup Fourth Round qualifying fixture at Haringey's home ground in north London, in which the winners would have progressed into the first round of the competition. 

The Haringey manager led his side off the field after hearing about the alleged abuse and the Borough players did not return, with the game eventually being abandoned. 

However, the players did eventually emerge from the dressing room as a 'show of solidarity'. 

A BT Sport reporter claimed that Pajetat had told her that he had been the victim of abuse, saying: "[He said] that he had been racially abused, he had been spat at and that he had things thrown at him."

A number of Yeovil fans have denied that any racial aggregated language had been used by any of their supporters. 

The events come just a few days removed from a string of high-profile incidents of racial abuse by home fans during England's trip to Bulgaria last Monday. 

BT Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas said that the allegations seemed to suggest that the English game continues to struggle with the problem of racism itself. 

"It's terrible to hear," Jenas said of the reports. 

However, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder added: "We're sometimes quick to get on our high horse at times and point the finger. We still have a huge problem in our leagues, whether that be the Premier League or the lower leagues."