England U15s shield referee after Bolivia substitute tries to attack him at U15 World Cup

England’s Under-15s were involved in chaotic scenes at the FIFA U15 World Cup in Azerbaijan on Thursday after a disputed last-minute penalty against Bolivia sparked a confrontation that ended with a red card for a Bolivian substitute who attempted to attack the referee.

The match had been level when the referee awarded a penalty to England, ruling that a foul on West Ham’s Emmanuel Famokun had occurred inside the box. Bolivia’s players and staff were convinced the contact happened outside the area, and their protests were fierce enough to see multiple cards issued before the decision was upheld.

In protest, Bolivia’s goalkeeper stood aside and allowed Famokun to roll the ball into an empty net uncontested, handing England a 3-2 victory. The Bolivian players then turned their anger back toward the referee, sarcastically applauding before one substitute made a direct run at the official. England’s players sprinted back across the pitch to intervene, and the referee produced a red card for the substitute before he was escorted from the field.

Tensions remained high after the final whistle, with England’s players celebrating in front of the Bolivian bench — a gesture that further inflamed their opponents. FIFA officials were required to step in and separate the two groups before order was eventually restored.

The incident is the second major controversy to surround England’s U15s at the tournament within days. Earlier in the week, their match against the Republic of Ireland was abandoned after an England player alleged they had been subjected to racist abuse by an opponent. Ireland had been leading 4-1 when the Young Lions walked off the pitch.

The FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival is a newly created tournament, with Azerbaijan hosting the inaugural edition. The competition, which runs from 22 to 31 October, features 8-a-side matches with 20-minute halves and has drawn over 3,000 players from 189 FIFA member nations. England entered the Bolivia match having already beaten Nicaragua, Montenegro, Cambodia, Zimbabwe, El Salvador, and Georgia, with their only defeats coming against Zambia and Turkey.