The ex-Hamilton boss has been criticised for his post-match comments.
Former Hamilton manager Alex Neil has been slammed for his post-match comments after Millwall’s 1-0 home defeat to Swansea City on Tuesday was paused due to alleged racist abuse aimed at visiting winger Eom Jisung.
Neil, 45, admitted he was frustrated by referee Edward Duckworth’s decision to delay the game following the incident, as the match official held lengthy discussions with both managers and paused the game. The South Korean winger is alleged to have been racially abused while he warmed up on the sideline, delaying the clash for around seven minutes in total.
Swansea went on to win the game in the 90th minute of the game, solidifying their place at the top of the EFL Championship, and the Millwall head coach bemoaned the decision to halt the game in the aftermath of his side’s defeat, telling BBC Sport: “I understand there's been an incident. It's not something I'm going to get involved in.
“That'll be for the authorities to deal with But the fact that it stops the game for 15 minutes. I just don't see the point. It needs to get dealt with, absolutely, but stopping the game doesn't deal with anything. All it does is kill the momentum. Listen, if we score I probably don't feel this way, but that's how I feel just now."
Neil’s comment came under fire on social media after the clash, with one user claiming his words were ‘very poor’. Another added: ‘Stopping the game is also a deterrent for others doing the same thing in the future, as a light gets shone on them. Some things are bigger than a game of football.’
Following the game, Millwall condemned the alleged abuse in a statement on their website, which read: "Millwall Football Club is aware of an alleged, individual incident of discriminatory abuse towards a Swansea City player during the second-half of Tuesday evening's Sky Bet Championship match. The club operates a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discriminatory abuse. Any individual found to have engaged in such behaviour will face the strongest possible action. The club is working alongside the relevant authorities to establish the facts and is unable to comment further as tonight's alleged incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which the club fully supports."
Swansea followed up with a statement that said: "The club wants to place on record its thanks for the swift and decisive manner in which the match officials, Millwall Football Club and the police dealt with the incident. We will now follow all protocols and processes and provide whatever assistance we can to all parties as the incident is investigated. We stand with Ji-Sung, and he has our unstinting love and support."
The game also marked the return of Scotland international Ross Stewart, who made his first appearance since August as a late substitute in the win. The 30-year-old, who was part of Steve Clarke’s squad at the World Cup this summer, moved to Swansea on a free transfer after his contract expired at Southampton, linking up with former Motherwell duo Elijah Just and Stephen Welsh, who also signed for the club in pre-season.
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