Teenage football fan banned for chanting racial abuse

A 17-YEAR-OLD AFC Bournemouth fan has been banned from attending football matches for three years after pleading guilty to chanting racist abuse.

At Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (5), the teenager, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty to indecent/racial chanting during a football match between Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth on November 30, 2019.

He was given a three-year football banning order and ordered to pay a £55 fine and £21 surcharge.

Inspector Matt Ashmead from the Met’s Public Order Investigation Team said: “We take all reports of racism very seriously and as this case demonstrates, will take robust action against those who are found to have committed these kinds of crimes during football matches.

“The vast majority of fans obey the law and neither they nor the players should have to listen to any kind of abuse.

“We are committed to working closely with clubs to identify anyone acting against the law and would ask anyone who sees or hears this type of behaviour to come forward to stewards or police.”

Meanwhile, over 150 incidents of racism related to football have been reported to police last season, it was reported last week.

The latest Home Office figures showed the amount of incidents reported had risen from 98 to 152 between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

Racism in football has hit the headlines in recent months with alleged incidents taking place at Tottenham, Brighton and Manchester since December.

A spokesperson for anti-racism charity Kick It Out said: “Racism is both a football and societal issue, and it is clear that we are living in a climate of rising hatred and tribalism across the world. In this country, the situation is no different and the language of division has become normalised within our political debate – and our politicians must take the lead in countering that.

“In that context, it is no surprise to see a rise in reported incidents in English football. But it is also important to note that racism in the game has now become a far more mainstream topic – which we believe is encouraging supporters to take action and report abuse they see or hear.”