Adam Idah racism allegation stalls after UEFA protocol lapse

UEFA will not open an investigation into the alleged racist abuse aimed at Adam Idah because the complaint was not explicitly reported as racism to the match officials on the pitch. During the first half, Jayson Molumby asked referee Harms Osmers and fourth official Florian Exner to listen for alleged chants, but UEFA said its protocols were not followed correctly. The FAI said Idah was not sure whether he heard racist chants and that he was unaffected by the incident.

UEFA's reason for stopping the case

The FAI spokesperson said the association will still look at the footage. “We’re going to review the video evidence from the game and try and determine if there is any evidence of racism,” the spokesperson told independent.co.uk. They added: “If we believe that to be the case, we will send [the evidence] to Uefa demanding an investigation into the incident.”

That leaves the door open to a fresh attempt, but only if the video review turns up something concrete enough to take back to UEFA. On the current reporting, the governing body has not taken the case further because the on-pitch complaint did not trigger the correct procedure.

Ireland's wider controversy

The allegation came during Rep. Of Ireland's 3-0 win over Israel in the Nations League, a match that was already loaded with tension. Irish players met on Friday to decide whether they would play, Gavin Bazunu made himself unavailable for the fixture and the return game against Israel on Sunday 4 October, and Heimir Hallgrímsson said Ireland will need to call in a third goalkeeper.

Hallgrímsson also said he had been in close contact with Bazunu through the dispute. “I have been speaking to Gavin multiple times a day, regularly going to his room,” he said. “None of us asked him not to take his stand.”

The football result, then, sits beside a separate issue that has not been resolved. Ireland won the match, but the allegation around Idah now depends on what the FAI finds in the video review and whether that gives UEFA a case it can actually act on.