Sunday 22/March/2026 – 06:43 PM
The Tyne-Wear derby match between Newcastle United and Sunderland witnessed a historic precedent in… English Premier League The Premier League, where play was officially stopped for the first time to activate the anti-racism protocol, and the decision came after a report from Lucharel Gertruda, the Sunderland player, that he was subjected to discriminatory abuse by fans at St. James Park.
According to what the British newspaper Daily Mail reported, the English Premier League confirmed in an official statement that the match was temporarily stopped during the second half to investigate the incident, and play was stopped for a long period after Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka alerted referee Anthony Taylor of the incident, which necessitated a discussion with Newcastle captain Kieran Trippier and security officials before the match resumed.
A dramatic win for Sunderland in the final minutes
Despite the tense atmosphere, the match was completed and ended with an exciting 2-1 victory for Sunderland. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring for Newcastle, before Shamseddine Talbi equalized the score for the visitors. In the 90th minute, Brian Brobbey succeeded in snatching the decisive winning goal for Sunderland, extending his team’s unbeaten series of matches against its traditional rival to 11 consecutive matches.
Violent incidents and the destruction of the Sunderland players’ bus
The start of the match was preceded by chaotic scenes outside the stadium, as fans of the two teams clashed around the stadium, and the bus carrying Sunderland FC players was pelted with bottles, causing a large crack in the windshield of the vehicle.
Video clips showed injuries among the fans, while emergency crews had to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on one of the fans who fell in critical condition amid the quarrels.
Northumbria Police intervene and arrest those involved
Reports indicated that the riots broke out after a group of Sunderland fans decided to walk towards the stadium without security escort, which led to direct clashes with Newcastle fans. Northumbria Police issued a statement confirming that at least one person had been arrested before the start of the match, with investigations continuing to determine the identity of those involved in the racist abuse and acts of vandalism that affected the team bus.
This is the first confrontation between the two teams at St. James Park since 2016, which explains the state of overload that led to these unfortunate incidents inside and outside the green rectangle.
