Chelsea say players racially abused in academy game

The fans involved in the incident can be seen behind the goal

Chelsea have condemned alleged racist abuse from at least one Qarabag supporter in an academy match in Azerbaijan.

Striker Sol Gordon, 17, opened the scoring in the 57th minute at the Azersun Stadium in Baku and celebrated the goal in proximity to a section of fans, who ran down to confront the players in the sparsely attended match.

Eyewitnesses told BBC Sport that they saw and heard monkey gestures.

The match was stopped for a few minutes as players complained to Ukrainian referee Dmytro Kubriak, with coaching staff, including head coach Calum McFarlane, involved in the discussions.

It appeared as if Chelsea might stop playing the match, but they continued after the stoppage and won 5-0.

Winger Jesse Derry, who was booked for celebrating in front of the home supporters in a provocative manner, scored twice, as substitutes Shim Mheuka and Frankie Runham sealed victory.

In a statement, Chelsea said: "We are aware of an incident during today's Uefa Youth League match in Azerbaijan in which, after scoring, a number of our players were subjected to racist abuse from an individual in the crowd.

"Racism and all forms of discriminatory behaviour are completely unacceptable and have no place in football or indeed in society. We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible.

"Our players have the full support of everyone at the club, and we have raised the incident immediately with the Uefa match delegate and home club: We expect this matter to be investigated fully under Uefa's disciplinary procedures.

"We are proud of the way our players and staff responded to the incident on the pitch, swiftly reporting it to the referee, and commend those for dealing with the matter professionally and appropriately in line with Uefa protocols."

A Qarabag spokesperson quickly moved to apologise, expressing their surprise at the incident, saying it "doesn't represent the values of the club", and promising to investigate it "thoroughly" in due course.

Uefa's disciplinary body will respond to the referee's report before making any decisions.

Chelsea are now top of the Youth League table with four wins from four matches.