The Premier League’s Tyne-Wear derby between Newcastle United and Sunderland was temporarily suspended during the second half after discriminatory abuse was directed at Sunderland defender Lutsharel Geertruida from the crowd at St James’ Park.
Play was halted for approximately five minutes at the start of the second half after the abuse was reported, with referee Anthony Taylor summoning both captains to the dugout to speak with their respective benches before the match resumed. Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka had brought the incident to the referee’s attention, after which it was alleged that discriminatory language had been aimed at Geertruida.
The Premier League confirmed the stoppage was enacted in line with its on-field anti-discrimination protocol. In a statement posted on X, the Match Centre said: “Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society,” adding that the incident would be fully investigated and that full support had been offered to the player and both clubs.
The suspension of play came shortly after a separate delay caused by an injury to Newcastle’s Sven Botman, who had been struck by a high boot and was subsequently replaced by Malick Thiaw.
Despite the disruption, Sunderland produced a remarkable result on the pitch, coming from behind to win 2-1 after seven minutes of added time at the end of the match. The victory gave the Black Cats a league double over their rivals — their first since the 2014-15 season. It also extended Sunderland’s unbeaten run against Newcastle to 11 games, the longest such streak in the history of the fixture.
The investigation into the discriminatory abuse is expected to be conducted jointly by both clubs and the Premier League.
