England Under 15s WALK OFF during World Cup clash with Ireland after youngster accused rival of calling him a 'monkey' in alleged racist slur

England's Under-15 World Cup match against Ireland descended into chaos after an alleged racist incident in Azerbaijan.

Young Lions boss Matt Thorpe withdrew his players in the 40th minute after one of them claimed an opponent had called him a 'monkey' moments after the England youngster pushed his opponent in the back.

A member of the Irish backroom staff shouted 'no, he didn't' while the English player remonstrated, sparking a shouting match between the two benches.

The England player approached his bench and waited on the touchline as Thorpe spoke to the fourth official. And just before play could resume, the England coach ordered his team off the pitch.

England were trailing 4-1 at the time but it is unclear whether the incident will affect the result, given it played out in the final knockings of the game - consisting of two 20-minute halves.

England's Under 15s walked off midway through their World Cup clash with Ireland

The Young Lions claimed one of their players was labelled a 'monkey' by an opposing player

Daily Mail Sport understands the FA are in contact with FIFA and working to establish the full details.

A full debrief with the players was delayed until after their final group match, a 2-0 win against Zimbabwe, which the affected player started.

The FA are taking the matter extremely seriously and will now fully investigate the circumstances, with player welfare their top priority.

A FIFA spokesman told Daily Mail Sport: 'FIFA is aware of an incident at the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival match between England and the Republic of Ireland. The match was abandoned by the referee following England's refusal to continue.

FA Ireland (FAI) did not respond to Daily Mail Sport's request for comment.

'The official reports are being gathered, and the matter will be referred to the independent Disciplinary Committee who will decide in due course.'

The Young Lions won their first three group games at the experimental eight-versus-eight tournament 16-1 on aggregate and topped the group before their match with Ireland, who were behind on goal difference.

This was not the first England youth match disrupted by racism allegations. Last year, England's Under-17s had their friendly victory over Venezuela stopped twice after multiple players were accused of racial abuse.

FIFA have comprehensive rules for dealing with racist incidents. Players who cover their mouths during a confrontation can receive a straight red card.

The rule was introduced after Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni was accused of calling Vinicius Jr a monkey while covering his mouth during a Champions League match earlier this year. Prestianni was retrospectively handed a six-match ban for the incident.

Meanwhile, abusive and discriminatory language – if heard by the referee – results in a straight red card.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was in attendance at the tournament on Monday

In July, the FA announced stricter measures to combat on-field discrimination in England, including a minimum 10-match ban for any player found guilty.

FIFA have a three-step procedure to address discriminatory incidents in stadiums, triggered when players make an X symbol to the referee.

Initially, the referee stops the match while spectators are warned to stop the abuse. It then escalates to a temporary pause before eventual abandonment if the conduct continues.

That protocol was notoriously implemented during England's 6-0 European Championship qualifying victory away to Bulgaria in 2019 when England's black players were tormented by monkey chants and Nazi salutes from the home support.

The game was stopped twice in the first half but the Three Lions opted to finish the game, having walked off the pitch just before half time.