Amin Chiakha scores twice as racism allegation sparks Norway football row

Amin Chiakha’s two-goal performance for Rosenborg was overshadowed by an alleged racist insult during their 3-0 win over Fredrikstad, with the Algeria international leaving the pitch in tears after the incident.

The 20-year-old forward claimed he was targeted during the second half, shortly after a free-kick around the 58th minute. He approached the referee and Fredrikstad players to protest, saying one of the opposition players had used the word “Perker”.

The term is considered a racist insult in Scandinavian countries and is used against people of foreign origin, particularly those from the Middle East and North Africa.

Chiakha was visibly distressed and initially threatened to leave the field. He eventually calmed down and decided to continue the match.

The referee confirmed that allegations of racist abuse had been made during the game.

According to Algerian website La Gazette du Fennec, the player suspected of directing the insult at Chiakha is Fredrikstad’s Swedish midfielder Samuel Leach Holm, who also holds an Israeli passport.

Fredrikstad have said the allegation has not been established and that Leach Holm denies using the word.

Joakim Heier, the club’s sporting director, told Fredrikstad Blad that the club had spoken to the player, who was “sad and disappointed” by the accusation. Heier said Leach Holm insisted he had not used the term, adding that Fredrikstad trusted him and could not imagine him behaving in that way based on their knowledge of him.

Rosenborg have publicly backed Chiakha and submitted a complaint to the Norwegian Football Federation, asking for an investigation into the incident and for the circumstances to be clarified.

Chiakha also addressed the matter on Instagram, thanking everyone who had contacted him and shown their support. He said: “There is no place for racism, on or off the pitch,” and described what happened as “completely unacceptable”.

The match itself further underlined Chiakha’s importance to Rosenborg. He opened the scoring in the 45th minute before converting a late penalty for his second goal.

The brace took his tally to 17 goals in the Norwegian top flight this season. He leads the league’s scoring charts by two goals, and has also provided four assists.