A late first-half goal from Antoine Semenyo was the difference as Leeds United suffered a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City at Elland Road.
The game was marred with controversy, and the referee came under fire for making some weird decisions against the home side, including Daniel Farke getting red-carded after the final whistle.
Leeds were denied a penalty, and a Manchester City player clearly stamped on Ilian Gruev’s legs during the game. However, the home side’s plea fell on deaf ears on Saturday night.
However, the Leeds supporters have come under heavy criticism for what they did when the game was stopped for a few seconds to allow the Muslim players break their Ramadan fast.
Kick It Out slams Leeds United fans after Saturday night’s incident
The game was stopped for just over 30 seconds to allow the Muslim players, all Manchester City stars, on the pitch to break Ramadan, and what followed has attracted heavy criticism.
A large section of the home fans started booing the players, which surprised and shocked many, even among the Elland Road faithful.
Leeds supporters are now under fire from different organisations, and even assistant coach Edmund Rimer revealed his disappointment at the incident after the game.
Kick If Out, the anti-racial discrimination organisation in football, has come out strongly against the behaviour and slammed the Leeds fans.
A statement on their X handle read: “It’s massively disappointing that some Leeds United fans booed when Manchester City’s players broke their fast during the first half of the match at Elland Road this evening.
“This was compounded by the fact that an explanation was displayed on a big screen inside the stadium.
“Pausing the game to allow Muslim players to break their fast during Ramadan has been an agreed protocol for several years now. It’s an important and visible part of making the game welcoming for Muslim players and communities.
“But as tonight’s reaction shows, football still has a long way to go in terms of education and acceptance.”
The club are under fire as well
In Kick It Out’s statement, the organisation pointed out that Leeds and Elland Road’s decision to display why the game was paused only exacerbated the problem.
There is a feeling that the pause would have gone unnoticed had no one specifically mentioned that it was due to allowing Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast.
The incident paints a bad picture of Leeds and the supporters for a controversy that could have been easily avoided had saner heads prevailed on Saturday night.
Was it a MUSLIM PLAYER who STAMPED ON Gruev? If it was, any comments from all those HYPOCRITES??