‘He’s not racist at all’: Football peacemaker claims chat has ended Champions League racism row – but player issues cryptic reply

Ex-Senegal star Ousmane N'Doye is said to have claimed that an official accused of racism during a Champions League match has made up with Demba Ba, causing the striker at the center of the row to say the report is not "reliable".

The incident, which halted the game between Istanbul Basaksehir and Paris Saint-Germain for 24 hours, occurred after both teams had spent just 14 minutes on the field in the French capital last week.

Fourth official Sebastian Coltescu was accused of referring to Basaksehir assistant coach Pierre Webo as "the black guy" while identifying him so that he could be sanctioned for misbehavior on the bench, causing an uproar among the players, who left the field in protest after deeming the incident racist.

Ba was at the heart of the players' complaints, remonstrating with the official while saying: “You never say, ‘This white guy,’ but say, ‘This guy.’ So why, when you point to a black guy, do you have to say ‘This black guy?’”

Former Senegal international Ousmane N'Doye, who played in Romania between 2011 and 2018, has reportedly taken up the role of mediator and attempted to reconcile the two sides.

N'Doye was quoted as saying that he had contacted Coltescu and Demba to set up a conversation between them, which he said lasted for a half an hour and ended on a positive note.

“I found out Coltescu's number and I told him I was with him," the ex-midfielder revealed.

"I know he's not racist at all. It was a misunderstanding. I talked to Demba Ba, he's my very good friend. I provided the assist for his first goal with the national team.

“I explained to him and he understood very well. I gave Sebi his number and I told him to call him to talk. They talked and they got along very well.

“They both called me back and told me they were very happy. Demba told me that Sebi is a very good man, as did Coltescu about Demba. The two got along.

“I've never seen racism in Romania – people were shocked when they found out what I said about Romania. It's my country.

“I explained that to Demba. He said that he had not heard anything bad from Coltescu but believed that the word 'black' should not be used in the stadium.

"He did not say it was racism. He said that you can't use that word in the stadium, and Sebi understood that.”

Responding to an account of the quotes that concluded "all's well that ends well", Ba seemed to undermine the story by tweeting: "Make sure your sources are reliable before writing."

Romanian football expert Emanuel Rosu suggested that N'Doye would be "a good guy to hear out" if the row ever was to go before a trial.

Others sympathized with Coltescu. "It’s a bit sad that we live in a world today where as soon as the ‘b’ word is used, it’s instantly branded as being racist," said one football fan.

"Personally, I don’t think it was a racist remark, but I can understand why it was interpreted as such.

"I’m glad it looks like the issue has been resolved, and hopefully this official will not be stigmatized as a racist in the future."

Another concluded: "Basically, what was said was racist in that context. But it was not intentional.

"It's good that they got to talk. This is how it should always end: a chance to talk and fully understand each other."