Cardiff look to find fan accused of racist comment

Cardiff City are working to identify a supporter believed to have made a racist gesture during Saturday’s League One game against Lincoln City.

The club say they were first made aware of an alleged offence by match officials during a stoppage in play.

Following the game Lincoln manager Michael Skubala revealed there were “allegations of racist comments” made towards captain Tendayi Darikwa by a Cardiff City fan.

In a statement on Tuesday morning Cardiff said: “Initial reports had implied that there may have been misinterpretation, but having completed an internal investigation and sought witness statements, it is our firm opinion that this is definitively not the case.”

The Welsh club say they have reported the incident to the relevant governing bodies and South Wales Police, and have asked supporters to help identify the individual involved.

The statement added: “We are disgusted by this repugnant behaviour and the impact it has had on those affected.

Lincoln won the game at Cardiff City Stadium 2-0 to overtake the Bluebirds at the top of League One.

However, the game was halted for four minutes after the opening goal, with referee Tom Reeves speaking to both dugouts.

In his post-game interview Skubala told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: “There were allegations of a supporter making racist comments to Tendayi Darikwa.

“We have to follow the due processes.

“The referee did everything right, he went straight to Tendayi and then spoke to us. Tendayi was happy to carry on, but now it goes up higher.

“There is no place at all for it in the game – from fans, players or anyone.

“Hopefully we can get to the bottom of it. The referee was very professional, did the right job and hopefully we can sort this out.”

When asked after the game about the incident, Cardiff head coach Brian Barry-Murphy said: “The referee said there was an incident involving the supporters and the captain of Lincoln when they scored.

“They said it would be dealt with after the game.”

The referee will also have submitted his end-of-game report to the Football Association, who will then determine if there is any further action to be taken.

This latest incident comes a month after the Football Association charged Cardiff City after the club’s fans allegedly aimed homophobic chants at Chelsea.