Millwall ban 13-year-old boy for racist abuse as Spurs condemn calls to criminalise fan chants
MILLWALL have banned a 13-year-old fan who racially abused Bolton’s Marvin Sordell during a match last month but issued a strong denial that it was anything other than an isolated incident.
The Championship club said the boy had written to the 23-year-old forward, who represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics, to apologise for the incident at the New Den on 6 October.
Sordell used Twitter to complain of abuse towards him and team-mates Lee Chung-Yong, Benik Afobe and Darren Pratley, but Millwall condemned coverage suggesting a wider problem.
“These reports were made with no knowledge of the facts and created the impression that Bolton players were subjected to racial chanting or systematic abuse by more than one individual,” the club said in a statement.
It is the latest racism controversy to hit English football, following allegations toward Chelsea’s John Terry, Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and referee Mark Clattenburg.
The Society of Black Lawyers yesterday called for players guilty of racism to be sacked and banned for nine months. But Tottenham hit back at another of its proposals, that Spurs fans who proudly use the term “Yid” should be reported to police and treated no differently to those who use it pejoratively.
“The club does not tolerate any form of racist or abusive chanting,” the club said. “Our guiding principle in respect of the “Y-word” is based on the point of law itself – the distinguishing factor is the intent with which it is used.”