Vitor Matos: Eom Jisung Has 'Strength to Move On' After Alleged Racial Abuse at Millwall

Swansea boss backs Eom after The Den incident

Swansea City head coach Vitor Matos says Eom Jisung has the strength to move on from the alleged racial abuse that overshadowed his side's victory at Millwall, as police continue to investigate the incident.

The Metropolitan Police are investigating after Swansea's staff reported alleged abuse aimed at South Korea international Eom during Tuesday's game at The Den. Matos said the 24-year-old winger "feels supported" at Swansea in the wake of an incident he described as "sad for everyone, either in football or in society".

"You have a behaviour that unfortunately nowadays still happens in the world we live in," Matos said. "We have a tool to fight against that. We used that [by reporting the allegation]; now he's moving on.

"As an adult, he understands that he needs to speak about these situations. You complain about the situation, and you have the strength as well to move on — that's how we should handle it."

The alleged abuse was reported in the second half of Swansea's 1-0 win, prompting a delay of around seven minutes before the game resumed. Matos reiterated that officials at Millwall "did really well to follow the protocol".

Matos calls for investigation to reach a conclusion

Asked what he expects to happen next, Matos said: "That all ways of investigating what happened come to a conclusion and then with that conclusion, hopefully everyone can be aware of that, and Millwall decide to do what they need to do in this kind of situation."

The incident at Millwall came just over a fortnight after it emerged that the Football Association of Ireland was investigating whether Swansea forward Adam Idah was racially abused by Israel supporters during a Nations League fixture with the Republic of Ireland last month.

Matos has spoken to Idah, 25, about what occurred during a match played in Serbia. "It's a different situation because in the end the referee [in that game] said he didn't hear anything so they could not stop the game," Matos said. "I was not there, so it's hard for me to judge the situation.

"I was there [at Millwall], I was quite clear the fourth [official] followed the protocol, which I think is the right thing to do in these situations, and now there's an investigation."

Eom in fine form as Swansea host West Ham

Eom, who was an unused substitute at Millwall, has scored eight goals in 96 appearances since joining Swansea from South Korean side Gwangju FC in 2024, and has been in fine form this season. He also helped South Korea win the Asian Games earlier this month. Idah has scored four goals for Swansea this season.

Eom will be in contention to feature when Swansea, who sit top of the Championship, host third-placed West Ham United on Saturday (15:00 BST).