England abandoned their Under-15 World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland on Monday after a player reported being subjected to a racist slur. Fifa confirmed it was investigating what happened in the final minute of the Group C fixture in Baku, Azerbaijan, when Ireland were leading 4-1.

Footage showed an England player approaching the bench after an altercation. He is believed to have alleged an opponent called him a “monkey” and raised a complaint with the coaching staff, prompting England’s head coach, Matt Thorpe, to approach the referee.

Thorpe was seen asking the referee to come over before instructing his players to leave the field. One of England’s assistant coaches subsequently told the referee: “We are reporting racism”, adding that the team did not want to continue playing.

When another official approached to discuss the next steps, the assistant coach reiterated that England’s players did not want to resume the match. He also said a player was upset by the incident.…