Newport County's FA Cup first-round tie against Walsall was halted for five minutes at Rodney Parade on Saturday after alleged homophobic chants from the crowd. The Football Association and South Wales Police could be asked to investigate, while Newport County could still face an FA charge.
The referee's intervention
Referee Robert Massey-Ellis spoke to the managers and captains of both teams and appeared to gesture towards the home crowd close to the dugouts.
Rules and possible investigation
Homophobic and discriminatory chants breach FA rules and are also classed as a hate crime.
Mullins' response
Newport manager Hayden Mullins said after the game: "I think it was homophobic stuff that was heard in the crowd, which is not on. We don't condone it. It was reported to the stewards and then to either the linesman or fourth official. I didn't hear anything, but he has gone down the right channels, which is good. No-one wants that. He chose to stop play and wanted to deal with it pretty thoroughly. He wanted to make sure he was on top of that and had the right things in place, which is key."
