Article by Eduard Apostol – published on Saturday, April 19, 2025, 09:53 / Updated on Saturday, April 19, 2025 09:54
The oil coach, Mehmet Topal, attended in December 2020 at the time when the Romanian referees Sebastian Colțescu and Octavian Șovre were investigated for racism at the PSG – Istanbul Bașakșehir match. The present reaction of the Turk: “A bad atmosphere was created then, but I do not think it was with badness”
Mehmet Topal, 39, had an impressive career as a footballer. Both at four huge clubs in his country, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Beșiktaș and Bașakșehir, as well as in Spain, in Valencia. He also evolved in the Champions League, at the highest level.
The current oil coach has checked as footballer 18 presence in the group stage, after 14 other qualifications. And his only goal was with PSG (1-5), from December 9, 2020, in the equipment of Istanbul Basakșehir. He was on the field at that time, widely debated, when the referee Sebastian Colţescu and the assistant Octavian Şovre were accused that during the match in the UCL, he would have used the expression “Black” or “that black”, in an attempt to indicate and identify a player of the Turkish team.
The conversation was heard by Pierre Webó, the second coach of the Turkish team, who reacted and caused a chain reaction of the players, who led to the withdrawal of both teams from the field and postponing the match for the next day, with another brigade.
82of selections and two goals gathered Mehmet Topal for Turkish national, evolving as a defensive midfielder, then central defender
Mehmet Topal recalled the moment with racist accusations from PSG – Istanbul Basakșehir
“Yes, yes, I remember. I know I reacted quickly against arbitration. There are, in football, racist reactions … such things should not happen. Maybe the referee was not bad. It was crowded then, many were said, as if the 4th referee, the reserve, said something racist …
Mehmet Topal in a duel with Kylian Mbappe in PSG vs Basakșehir
A bad atmosphere was created then, but I do not think it was with badness, but we understood. It is important to learn from mistakes, we are all people. It is important to repair.
(I guess you met with the then referees in the Romanian championship) Yes, yes, but I did not discuss that episode, it is a past, “Mehmet Topal reacted for the Sports Gazette, during the interview-event granted by the Turk at the Ploiești stadium.
Sebastian Colțescu was suspended by the end of that season, Octavian Șovre received warning
Sebastian Colțescu was investigated by UEFA, after calling “that black” on Pierre Webo, at the match between PSG and Istanbul Basakşehir, in the Champions League, in December 2020.
Although the expressions “that black” and “that black” could be considered as controversial in the context in which they were also said due to the similar phonetics between the black word in Romanian and the Negro English pejorative term, they cannot be perceived as discriminatory or racist, “the investigators decided.
Later, in March 2021, UEFA decided that the Craiova referee will no longer arbitrate until the end of the season. And the assistant Octavian Şovre received a warning, being investigated. Also, Webo, the person concerned by the words used by Colţescu, was suspended for a match for “unsportsmanlike behavior”.
