Sikh Referee Racially Abused Online After Chelsea's Preseason Defeat Against Inter
Kick It Out are investigating racial abuse directed at Sikh referee Sukhbir Singh after he took charge of Chelsea's pre-season defeat against Inter last weekend.
Sky Sports have reported that the official was the victim of the vitriol of fans angry with his performance in the friendly.
Singh awarded a contentious penalty against Chelsea in the first half after a challenge by Cesar Azpilicueta on Inter forward Stefan Jovetic, and Michy Batshuayi saw a late goal wrongly ruled out for offside in the 2-1 defeat.
A number of social media users made racist comments about the referee while the game was in progress, some of which had not been taken down as of Tuesday.
Football's anti-discrimination campaign Kick It Outhave been contacted by people expressing concern over the comments.
The organisation's reporting officer is investigating the matter and "liaising with relevant authorities".
Kick it out claim that they have "been made aware by members of the public concerned by the comments directed" towards Singh.
It is not the first time Singh has faced criticism for a performance, although the abuse was far less extreme on previous occasions.
The Singaporean official was accused of being in favour of India - the country of his origin - when they played against Afghanistan in the SAFF Championship final in 2011.
