By . Adam Crafton . Follow @@AdamCrafton_ . On Tuesday night in the isolated Croatian town of Novigrad, Manchester City's patience finally snapped. For the fifth time in just over two years, one of their players has allegedly become the victim of racial abuse. Previous incidents include the subjection of Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure to monkey noises in European competition, a banana being launched at Gael Clichy in a friendly at Limerick and Devante Cole, a young talent, receiving relentless abuse in a youth tournament in Madrid. This time, it was an academy pre-season friendly game and a 19-year-old boy was the target. Yes, really. VIDEO Scroll down for Manuel Pellegrini's reaction to Seko Fofana's alleged racial abuse . Flashpoint: Seko Fofana (No 8) kicked out at a NHK Rijeka player after being allegedly racially abused . Seeing red: Fofana was sent off for kicking out at his opponent as the players come together . Taking a stand: Patrick Vieira (third left) walked on to the pitch after hearing what may have happened . Stopped: The match is abandoned as Vieira leads his team off the pitch in Croatia after the incident . Making his point: Vieira was integral to Manchester City's players development and was in pre-season . Seko Fofana vs HNK Rijeka in 2014 . Devante Cole vs Atletico Madrid in 2014 . Yaya Toure vs CSKA Moscow in 2013 . Gael Clichy vs Limerick FC in 2012 . Mario Balotelli vs Porto in 2012 . City believe that Seko Fofana, a young Frenchman, was racially abused by an opponent during a pre-season warm-up match against HNK Rijeka on Tuesday evening. For his troubles, the teenager was sent off, having kicked out after receiving a verbal volley of abuse from his Croatian opponent moments before half-time. As of Wednesday morning, City were still to ascertain how much the referee had seen or heard of the incident. Elite Development Squad manager Patrick Vieira, once alerted to Fofana's complaint, immediately entered the pitch and after holding discussions with the referee and the City officials present, the former Arsenal captain ordered his players to leave the field and asserted that the game would not continue. It is the most high-profile statement that an English football club has made against racism in recent times and while City were keen to stress that this was a club decision, rather than Vieira's alone, they will know that this decision will reverberate around Europe. Vieira, a mild-mannered and deeply intelligent man who is aware of his status as one of football's leading statesmen, will not have taken this decision lightly. Sadly, the incident appears to have been brushed aside by the Croatian club. Move along, nothing to see here appears to be the depressing message. Youngster: Fofana in action during an Under-21 match against Chelsea last season at the Etihad . On their . club website, Rijeka suggested that City, trailing 1-0 at the time of . the incident, simply could not handle the embarrassment of falling . behind against a relatively unknown side. The . bizarre defence continued with the assertion that the red card was . 'entirely justified' and on Vieira's actions, Rijeka said: 'To the . amazement of a well-filled stadium he took his team off the pitch. What . are the reasons? They are known only to him.' There is no mention of the alleged incident of racism and no suggestion that the Croatian side will launch an internal investigation. Sportsmail understands that City are in talks with the match organisers and the Croatian FA to take matters further. Back at the hotel in Croatia on Tuesday night, City officials were understood to be incensed by the development and hugely frustrated by this latest case of racism. The EDS side and under-18 side have enjoyed two very happy years at their Croatian training camp and only last Friday, the academy head Mark Allen was telling local journalists and the complex manager that he would consider a return to the base for a third summer next year. He may now be tempted to place a black marker through Croatia's name when deciding future destinations. As for Fofana, the talented midfielder was understood to be deeply distressed on Tuesday night. If, as City unequivocally maintain, he was racially abused, you can understand why a young teenager may respond angrily, even if it is not the ideal reaction to lash out. Hurt: Devante Cole, son of former England striker Andrew, was allegedly racially abused by players and fans . Match winner: Cole scored the winning goal as City advanced into the last eight of the UEFA competition . Claim: Gael Clichy tweeted saying bananas were thrown on to the pitch in a friendly for Man City . Anger: Clichy took to Twitter to vent his frustration at the alleged throwing of bananas on to the pitch . On their . club website, Rijeka suggested that City, trailing 1-0 at the time of . the incident, simply could not handle the embarrassment of falling . behind against a relatively unknown side. The defence continued with the assertion that the red card was . 'entirely justified' and on Vieira's actions, Rijeka said: 'To the . amazement of a well-filled stadium he took his team off the pitch. What . are the reasons? They are known only to him.' Certainly, . it is out of character for a charming individual who makes for good . company. Vieira rates him among the club's most promising talents. He . will comfort the young man and take him under his wing as the group fly . back to Manchester on Wednesday afternoon but there is no disguising the . anger that has engulfed the players and staff at Manchester City. Just . a few months ago, Devante Cole, the son of Andrew, was the victim of . perhaps the most revolting torrent of racial abuse encountered by an . English footballer in recent times. During a UEFA Youth League match at . Atletico Madrid, monkey chants came streaming down from the stands and . he also received abuse from opposing players. Even a tannoy announcement pleading for a ceasefire could not deter the stream of bile being directed his way. As he exited the field at full-time, shielded by academy head Mark Allen, Cole was then spat at. He was 18-years-old at the time. 'You cannot believe what it was like. Just disgusting. He was really upset by it. He was 18 - how can it be allowed?' a City source told Sportsmail. UEFA saw it worthy only of a fine of £8,270 for Atletico and a partial stadium ban for a future youth game. In October last year, monkey chants were directed towards Yaya Toure in last season's Champions League clash in Russia and the same kind of alleged derogatory noises aimed at Mario Balotelli during a Europa League match against Porto in 2012. Making his feelings clear: Yaya Toure tells referee Ovidiu Hategan about the abuse from CSKA Moscow fans . What's going on? Toure gestures towards the fans after the midfielder felt he was being racially abused . Time to act: Toure called on UEFA to take action against fans who racially abuse players . Target: Toure was the victim of monkey chants from sections of the Moscow crowd during the game . Porto were fined only £16,700 for the behaviour of their supporters - less than the £24,000 City were fined for returning to the field a minute late after half time, while CSKA were punished with only a partial closure of their stadium. This will not be a case for UEFA but the meek punishments set a poor precedent. Who can forget Michel Platini's response to the suggestion that Mario Balotelli should walk off the pitch if he were to receive racial abuse at Euro 2012: ‘If a player left the field on his own, he would get a yellow card. It’s not Mr Balotelli who’s in charge of refereeing,' was the UEFA President's pithy reply. You get the drift. Nobody here is expecting the Croatian governing body to come down like a ton of bricks on one of their own. Yet when the authorities continue to turn a blind eye, when UEFA's punishments remain tame and when FIFA award World Cups to countries such as Russia, where prejudice remains rife, racism will remain unchallenged on the continent. Angry: Mario Balotelli punches the ground during an Italy game where he was allegedly racially abused as well . Bad day: Balotelli was supposedly subject to monkey noises during the international game as well .
Manchester City's Elite Development Squad manager Patrick Vieira abandoned pre-season friendly against HNK Rijeka after incident .
Rijeka: 'To the amazement of a well-filled stadium, (Vieira) took his team off the pitch. What are the reasons? They are known only to him'
Seko Fofana left distressed after being 'racially abused' during pre-season .
'Just disgusting. He was really upset by it. He was 18 - how can it be allowed?' City source tells Sportsmail .
Fofana is fifth case after Mario Balotelli, Yaya Toure, Gael Clichy and Devante Cole were subject to alleged racial abuse during games at different levels .
By . Adam Crafton . Follow @@AdamCrafton_ . On Tuesday night in the isolated Croatian town of Novigrad, Manchester City's patience finally snapped. For the fifth time in just over two years, one of their players has allegedly become the victim of racial abuse. Previous incidents include the subjection of Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure to monkey noises in European competition, a banana being launched at Gael Clichy in a friendly at Limerick and Devante Cole, a young talent, receiving relentless abuse in a youth tournament in Madrid. This time, it was an academy pre-season friendly game and a 19-year-old boy was the target. Yes, really. VIDEO Scroll down for Manuel Pellegrini's reaction to Seko Fofana's alleged racial abuse . Flashpoint: Seko Fofana (No 8) kicked out at a NHK Rijeka player after being allegedly racially abused . Seeing red: Fofana was sent off for kicking out at his opponent as the players come together . Taking a stand: Patrick Vieira (third left) walked on to the pitch after hearing what may have happened . Stopped: The match is abandoned as Vieira leads his team off the pitch in Croatia after the incident . Making his point: Vieira was integral to Manchester City's players development and was in pre-season . Seko Fofana vs HNK Rijeka in 2014 . Devante Cole vs Atletico Madrid in 2014 . Yaya Toure vs CSKA Moscow in 2013 . Gael Clichy vs Limerick FC in 2012 . Mario Balotelli vs Porto in 2012 . City believe that Seko Fofana, a young Frenchman, was racially abused by an opponent during a pre-season warm-up match against HNK Rijeka on Tuesday evening. For his troubles, the teenager was sent off, having kicked out after receiving a verbal volley of abuse from his Croatian opponent moments before half-time. As of Wednesday morning, City were still to ascertain how much the referee had seen or heard of the incident. Elite Development Squad manager Patrick Vieira, once alerted to Fofana's complaint, immediately entered the pitch and after holding discussions with the referee and the City officials present, the former Arsenal captain ordered his players to leave the field and asserted that the game would not continue. It is the most high-profile statement that an English football club has made against racism in recent times and while City were keen to stress that this was a club decision, rather than Vieira's alone, they will know that this decision will reverberate around Europe. Vieira, a mild-mannered and deeply intelligent man who is aware of his status as one of football's leading statesmen, will not have taken this decision lightly. Sadly, the incident appears to have been brushed aside by the Croatian club. Move along, nothing to see here appears to be the depressing message. Youngster: Fofana in action during an Under-21 match against Chelsea last season at the Etihad . On their . club website, Rijeka suggested that City, trailing 1-0 at the time of . the incident, simply could not handle the embarrassment of falling . behind against a relatively unknown side. The . bizarre defence continued with the assertion that the red card was . 'entirely justified' and on Vieira's actions, Rijeka said: 'To the . amazement of a well-filled stadium he took his team off the pitch. What . are the reasons? They are known only to him.' There is no mention of the alleged incident of racism and no suggestion that the Croatian side will launch an internal investigation. Sportsmail understands that City are in talks with the match organisers and the Croatian FA to take matters further. Back at the hotel in Croatia on Tuesday night, City officials were understood to be incensed by the development and hugely frustrated by this latest case of racism. The EDS side and under-18 side have enjoyed two very happy years at their Croatian training camp and only last Friday, the academy head Mark Allen was telling local journalists and the complex manager that he would consider a return to the base for a third summer next year. He may now be tempted to place a black marker through Croatia's name when deciding future destinations. As for Fofana, the talented midfielder was understood to be deeply distressed on Tuesday night. If, as City unequivocally maintain, he was racially abused, you can understand why a young teenager may respond angrily, even if it is not the ideal reaction to lash out. Hurt: Devante Cole, son of former England striker Andrew, was allegedly racially abused by players and fans . Match winner: Cole scored the winning goal as City advanced into the last eight of the UEFA competition . Claim: Gael Clichy tweeted saying bananas were thrown on to the pitch in a friendly for Man City . Anger: Clichy took to Twitter to vent his frustration at the alleged throwing of bananas on to the pitch . On their . club website, Rijeka suggested that City, trailing 1-0 at the time of . the incident, simply could not handle the embarrassment of falling . behind against a relatively unknown side. The defence continued with the assertion that the red card was . 'entirely justified' and on Vieira's actions, Rijeka said: 'To the . amazement of a well-filled stadium he took his team off the pitch. What . are the reasons? They are known only to him.' Certainly, . it is out of character for a charming individual who makes for good . company. Vieira rates him among the club's most promising talents. He . will comfort the young man and take him under his wing as the group fly . back to Manchester on Wednesday afternoon but there is no disguising the . anger that has engulfed the players and staff at Manchester City. Just . a few months ago, Devante Cole, the son of Andrew, was the victim of . perhaps the most revolting torrent of racial abuse encountered by an . English footballer in recent times. During a UEFA Youth League match at . Atletico Madrid, monkey chants came streaming down from the stands and . he also received abuse from opposing players. Even a tannoy announcement pleading for a ceasefire could not deter the stream of bile being directed his way. As he exited the field at full-time, shielded by academy head Mark Allen, Cole was then spat at. He was 18-years-old at the time. 'You cannot believe what it was like. Just disgusting. He was really upset by it. He was 18 - how can it be allowed?' a City source told Sportsmail. UEFA saw it worthy only of a fine of £8,270 for Atletico and a partial stadium ban for a future youth game. In October last year, monkey chants were directed towards Yaya Toure in last season's Champions League clash in Russia and the same kind of alleged derogatory noises aimed at Mario Balotelli during a Europa League match against Porto in 2012. Making his feelings clear: Yaya Toure tells referee Ovidiu Hategan about the abuse from CSKA Moscow fans . What's going on? Toure gestures towards the fans after the midfielder felt he was being racially abused . Time to act: Toure called on UEFA to take action against fans who racially abuse players . Target: Toure was the victim of monkey chants from sections of the Moscow crowd during the game . Porto were fined only £16,700 for the behaviour of their supporters - less than the £24,000 City were fined for returning to the field a minute late after half time, while CSKA were punished with only a partial closure of their stadium. This will not be a case for UEFA but the meek punishments set a poor precedent. Who can forget Michel Platini's response to the suggestion that Mario Balotelli should walk off the pitch if he were to receive racial abuse at Euro 2012: ‘If a player left the field on his own, he would get a yellow card. It’s not Mr Balotelli who’s in charge of refereeing,' was the UEFA President's pithy reply. You get the drift. Nobody here is expecting the Croatian governing body to come down like a ton of bricks on one of their own. Yet when the authorities continue to turn a blind eye, when UEFA's punishments remain tame and when FIFA award World Cups to countries such as Russia, where prejudice remains rife, racism will remain unchallenged on the continent. Angry: Mario Balotelli punches the ground during an Italy game where he was allegedly racially abused as well . Bad day: Balotelli was supposedly subject to monkey noises during the international game as well .
Clichy in a friendly at Limerick and Devante reaction to Seko Fofana's alleged racial abuse . development and was in pre-season . Seko Fofana or heard of the incident. Elite Development Squad manager Patrick Vieira, once alerted to Fofana's actions, Rijeka said: 'To the . amazement of a well-filled stadium he took his team off the pitch. What . are the reasons? They are known amazement of a well-filled stadium he took his team off the pitch. What . are the reasons? They are known only to him.' Certainly, . it is out of believe what it was like. Just disgusting. He was really upset by it. He was 18 - how can it be allowed?' a City source told Sportsmail. UEFA saw midfielder felt he was being racially abused .