Millwall manager Alex Neil has faced criticism for questioning the decision to stop Tuesday's Championship match against Swansea City following an allegation of racist abuse. The anti-racism organisation Kick It Out challenged his stance, saying player welfare must always come before match momentum.

The game at The Den was paused for seven minutes in the 65th minute after reports of discriminatory chants directed at Swansea substitute Ji-sung Eom. Referee Edward Duckworth halted play, consulting with both teams' coaching staff and a stadium safety officer before an announcement was made to the crowd confirming the alleged abuse and an ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation.

Club condemns abuse, Neil questions protocol

Millwall Football Club immediately reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination. "The club operates a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discriminatory abuse," a club statement said. "Any individual found to have engaged in such behaviour will face the strongest possible action." The club confirmed it is supporting the police investigation.

Speaking after the 1-0 defeat, Neil expressed frustration with the stoppage. "It needs to get dealt with," he said. "[But] stopping the game doesn't deal with anything. All it does is kill the momentum." He added, "If we score, I probably don't feel this way, let's be honest."

Kick It Out backs protocol

Kick It Out issued a statement praising the officials and clubs for following safeguarding protocols but took issue with the manager's comments. "Player welfare should always take precedence over the momentum or flow of a match," the group stated. "It’s essential that managers and all leaders recognise this and set the tone with their language so that everyone can stand up to discrimination."

Swansea head coach Vítor Matos supported the handling of the incident. "The referee followed the protocol for these sort of situations, they did the right thing," he said. "Millwall did the right thing by announcing there is no place for this sort of thing."

Defeat extends home struggles

After the restart, Swansea scored a 90th-minute winner through Ronald Pereira Martins, securing a 1-0 victory. The result leaves Millwall 11th in the Championship with 14 points from 10 games, having won just one of their last five matches. Their recent form reads LWDDL, a run fans will hope to improve upon when they host Lincoln this weekend.

The club has several players currently sidelined, including key attackers like L. Jensen and R. Esse, which is detailed on our injuries list. Millwall now turn their focus to the Lincoln City fixture at The Den on Saturday, 17 October, as they aim to bounce back from a difficult week both on and off the pitch.

Read the full report at BBC Sport Football