Indian Super League (ISL) side East Bengal have refuted the alleged racism charges against their head coach Robbie Fowler.
A media report on Tuesday claimed that the East Bengal head coach, who has been summoned by the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) disciplinary committee, has been slapped with racism charges against the referees.
East Bengal released an official statement rubbishing the claims and it read, "While the Club is mindful of the gravity of an allegation of racism, Mr Fowler's comments on the refereeing were in no way racist. The disciplinary charge from the All India Football Federation which Mr Fowler will be responding to also does not allude to any racist connotations in Mr Fowler’s comments.
"SC East Bengal is appalled at the unfounded and misplaced report and strongly condemns the report. The Club distances itself from the baseless report which appears to be grounded in conjecture.
"SC East Bengal expresses its absolute support for Mr Fowler, in the face of any attempt to discredit his image as a global football icon."
The alleged incident happened after East Bengal's match against FC Goa where Fowler expressed his grievances against the referee for poor decisions in an interview. The Red and Golds though have clarified that the Liverpool legend's comments had no racist connotation whatsoever.
The AIFF disciplinary committee headed by Usha Nath Banerjee will summon the East Bengal coach on Wednesday at 6:30 PM.