Courts fail to back up football and the police in racism case

Middlesbrough and the Football Association say they are “disappointed” a Newcastle fan who racially abused Mido has escaped a banning order. I would say that “disappointed must be one of the under statements of the year! I would have thought that “frustrated”, “angry”, “confused” or “furious” might be better words to use.

Cancer

As Football in England continues to try to drive the cancer of racism out of the game and on the day that Police in Hampshire released photographs of Tottenham fans they want to interview in relation to the abuse of Sol Campbell at Portsmouth, the Courts in Middlesbrough had the ideal opportunity to send the strongest of messages.

Forty-nine year old Barry Hutchinson pleaded guilty to an offence of racist or obscene chanting during Newcastle’s 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough on 29 November. His punishment? A fine of £270 with £45 costs

An FA spokesman summed up what most of us think,

“We are disappointed a banning order was not imposed. It is important to send out a strong message that racist and discriminatory chanting is totally unacceptable, and that anyone found guilty will face the consequences.”

A Middlesbrough spokesman made it clear that Football cannot rid the game of this type of behaviour without help.

“It makes it very difficult for football clubs to have a robust anti-racism policy without the support of the courts. Despite this setback we will continue to be vigilant and supportive of police in tackling all discriminatory and anti-social behaviour. The individual concerned will be banned from the Riverside Stadium.”

Mido has recently spoken out about the abuse after he was subjected to similar abuse during the corresponding fixture at the Riverside last season. No action was taken then as the police were unable to identify the culprits.

Last week the director of anti-racism campaign Kick It Out, asked football supporters to help “self-police” any racist incidents on the terraces.

“The police are now saying they are going to put in extra monitoring for the next game, but by then it will be too late. What we need is for the police to go over the CCTV footage and do what they can, in similar way which they are in Hampshire concerning the recent incident with the Tottenham fans at Portsmouth. The key change we do have in English football now is there is self-policing, peer pressure which supporters who understand the implications can put on fans who are involved in abuse.”

It is rare for a culprit of this type of offence to be caught and prosecuted so it would have been nice to see the Courts take more meaningful action. Middlesbrough have banned the man from their ground and I assume he will be banned from St James’ Park as well, but Football needs more support from the authorities.

Insulting

If the sixteen Tottenham supporters are identified that the police are seeking in relation to the Sol Campbell incident, what will the Courts do with them? The football clubs and the football authorities are doing their bit and even the police are doing theirs. They may all wonder if it is worth it if after taking all that time and effort just to see the culprit fined an insulting £270.

Of course it is worth it. Those fans will no doubt be banned from Tottenham matches and that is a start. We all love the rivalry and the banter between clubs and their fans. That is part of the whole picture that makes football the best and most exciting game in the world. There are few football fans who haven’t shouted or sung something at a game that in their ‘nornal’ everyday lives they wouldn’t dream of singing or shouting.

Personal attack

It is a release. It is healthy and enjoyable. When it goes way beyond being healthy or enjoyable is when that shouting or singing becomes a personal attack on an individual purely based on their colour, religion or sexuality. That is wrong and the people who think it is acceptable should not be allowed in our football stadiums.

The whole world must make a stand on this. Do not shout unpleasant, discriminatory abuse at individuals. If you do, you may be hunted down and fined £270. It doesn’t send much of a message does it?

Effective

Do not shout unpleasant, discriminatory abuse at individuals. If you do, you will be hunted down and banned from football grounds for life. That seems to be a little more effective.