Igor Tolic Explains Gabriel Mutombo Substitution After Suspected Racism Incident
Persib Bandung’s opening match in Group B of the 2026/27 ASEAN Club Championship against Port FC was briefly interrupted by a suspected racism incident, leaving questions among Bobotoh about what happened on the pitch.
The match at Thammasat Stadium on Thursday, October 8, was stopped in the 58th minute by referee Muhammad Nazmi. The official held discussions with representatives of both clubs for several minutes before allowing play to resume, although the precise circumstances surrounding the incident remained unclear.
Persib head coach Igor Tolic later addressed the interruption, explaining that it may have involved an alleged racist remark by a player. He also revealed that defender Gabriel Mutombo appeared visibly unsettled by the situation, prompting the coach to substitute him.
“I don’t know what happened, who said what or who did what. However, the referee stopped the match. Perhaps they saw something through VAR, or they wanted to hear or check something. I don’t know. The game then continued,” Tolic said.
The Croatian coach was reluctant to speculate further because the incident occurred some distance from his position on the touchline. He also stressed that he was still trying to establish the facts before drawing any conclusions about what had happened.
“I cannot comment because we did not hear what actually happened on the pitch. I just noticed that Mutombo was under some pressure, so I took him off. That was the reason for the substitution,” Tolic added.
Despite the interruption, Persib chose to remain focused on the match rather than allow the incident to affect their performance. Tolic’s decision to withdraw Mutombo was also influenced by the defender’s disciplinary situation, as he had already received a yellow card.
The Persib coach feared that Mutombo’s visible frustration could increase the risk of another booking and leave his team with 10 men. With the match still in progress, Tolic decided that making the substitution was the safest option.
“I could see that Mutombo was a little nervous. I took him off because he had already received a yellow card, and we had to consider the possibility of him getting a second one. We wanted to finish the match with 11 players, so I made the change and another player saw out the game,” Tolic explained.
Tolic’s comments offer some insight into his decision to replace Mutombo, but they do not establish exactly what triggered the referee’s intervention. The alleged racist conduct remains unconfirmed, and the circumstances surrounding the incident would require further clarification from the relevant parties.
For Persib, the immediate priority was to complete the match while maintaining their concentration. However, the interruption in Thailand has raised important questions about the incident and whether any further explanation will be provided by the match officials or tournament organisers.
