Manchester City's under-21 team walked off the pitch during a friendly against Croatian side HNK Rijeka after one of their players was racially abused, the club has claimed.

While live tweeting the fixture in Croatia, the City Twitter feed explained that the incident occured after young midfielder Seko Fofana was targeted by home fans after being sent off for an "off the ball incident".

HNK Rijeka, who were leading 1-0 when the match was abandoned, expressed surprise over City's decision to abandon the game.

"Manchester City coach Patrick Vieira entered the field, discussed something with the referee, and then to the amazement of a well-filled stadium, took his team off the pitch," youth-team coordinator Ranko Buketa told the club's website. "The reasons are known only to him."