Headline: Newport County Match Halted Amid Homophobic Chant Allegations
The Football Association and South Wales Police are considering investigating claims of homophobic chants during Newport County’s FA Cup first round match against Walsall at Rodney Parade. The game, held on Saturday, encountered a five-minute stoppage in the second half after referee Robert Massey-Ellis intervened.
Massey-Ellis engaged in discussions with the managers and captains of both teams and appeared to indicate towards the home supporters situated near the dugouts. Newport County may face charges from the FA, as homophobic and discriminatory chants violate FA regulations and are classified as hate crimes.
Newport’s manager Hayden Mullins remarked after the match that he had not personally heard any offensive language, but acknowledged that such behavior “had no place” in football. Mullins stated, “I think it was homophobic stuff that was heard in the crowd, which is not on. We don’t condone it.” He noted that reports of the behavior were made to the stewards and relayed to the linesman or fourth official.
“I didn’t hear anything, but he [the referee] has gone down the right channels, which is good. No one wants that,” Mullins added. “He chose to stop play and wanted to deal with it pretty thoroughly. He wanted to make sure he was on top of that and had the right things in place, which is key.”
