UK Edition
EFL expresses sadness after four more incidents of racism across domestic leagues
The English Football League said it was "saddened, disappointed and angered" after another weekend of fixtures were blighted by at least four incidents of alleged racism across the domestic game.
A Brentford fan was arrested for abusing Derby's Duane Holmes, several Northampton players reported pre-match abuse by Notts County fans and Wigan have spoken to police about a sickening message sent to wing-back Nathan Byrne on social media. Meanwhile, in the Premier League, Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha called out an online message calling him “a diving monkey”.
Footballing authorities had already been facing more scrutiny over their handling of abuse after the Tottenham defender Danny Rose said he “can’t wait to see the back of football” due to the lack of action. On Sunday Kick It Out, the anti-discrimination charity, expressed dismay, saying "another week, another group of players racially abused", while the EFL said it was "exceptionally disappointing that this happened as clubs up and down the country were raising awareness of such issues as part of Kick it Out's Week of Action."
The league added: "We remain fully committed to continuing to work alongside The FA and Premier League as well as other relevant parties to ensure that football provides a welcoming environment for supporters attending matches and those participating in them. We cannot, and will not, accept this type of behaviour inside our stadiums, as we know our clubs won't."
The Brentford season-ticket holder was held by Scotland Yard following a claim of abuse by Derby's Holmes. Holmes, 24, was substituted in the 74th minute against Brentford, with the incident occurring nine minutes after the Bees' third equaliser in the 3-3 draw at Griffin Park.
Brentford said of the arrested fan: "He was identified at the time, removed from the ground and subsequently arrested. The club utterly condemns discrimination of any kind. It is abhorrent and has no place in society and we are determined to drive it out of Griffin Park."
Wigan's Byrne had posted a screenshot on his Twitter account of a message he received following the Latics' 2-2 draw with Bristol City at Ashton Gate. In a statement, Wigan said: "There is no place for discrimination in society and social media is not an exception to those rules. We find this behaviour abhorrent."
Northampton also revealed that several of their first-team squad were allegedly abused ahead as they went on a pre-match walk from the team hotel before the Sky Bet League Two game at Meadow Lane. Timi Elsnik and David Buchanan had initially highlighted the alleged abuse several of their team-mates before their 2-2 draw.