Tottenham Could Be Charged Over Campbell Abuse
Posted on 01. Oct, 2008 by Milox in Premiership
The Football Association have been urged to take action in a police complaint about the verbal abuse directed at former Tottenham favourite Sol Campbell at Fratton Park on Sunday.
Hampshire Constabulary say they were prompted to take the unusual step of asking the FA to intervene by “the sheer number of people involved” in the chanting directed at the Portsmouth defender by visiting Spurs fans.
The FA are awaiting reports from witnesses and officials at the game, including referee Mike Dean before deciding whether to take matters further but they have already been contacted by the Hampshire police - who admitted it was “not feasible” to make arrests.
A statement from the FA said: “The FA recognises that football has a duty to challenge all discrimination within the game and our aim is to confront aggressive issues and obscene chanting and abuse.
“The FA takes these matters seriously and will investigate any alleged case we are made aware of, taking action where necessary.”
Pompey manager Harry Redknapp branded the verbal attacks on the 34-year-old - who left Spurs on a free transfer at the end of his White Hart Lane contract in June 2001 to join fierce local rivals Arsenal - as “filthy”.
A Hampshire police spokesman said: “Our officers at the game were aware of the problem but it was not feasible to make arrests in that kind of huge crowd situation. So no arrests were made.
“But what we have done is make a complaint to the FA about the conduct of fans which will, hopefully, be dealt with in an appropriate manner.
“We deal with these issues case by case, match by match, and on this occasion the sheer number of people involved was just too many for us to take action against individuals.”
The FA could charge Tottenham with failing to control their supporters, even though this action has obvious anomalies and is usually directed towards the home club when offensive behaviour comes into question.
© Press Association 2008
Related posts:
4 Comments
CK
01. Oct, 2008
HE DESERVES IT!
SCUM!
[Reply]
Davy41
01. Oct, 2008
So a guy done us over 7 years ago and now we are still singing childish songs at him you lot are not true Spurs fans you make me sick.At Windsor Park in Belfast they used to sing songs about wanting to kill catholics and how they hated them -why because of the war over here .Now they have been voted best International fans anywhere if we can change so can you .Grow up for Gods sake.Spurs will be fined over this ,thats your money thats going to pay that fine which means higher ticket prices next year.Try changing like we did over here and supporting the team instead of acting like stupid children.You should all get life bans from ALL football matches.
[Reply]
shannon
01. Oct, 2008
Boys will be boys. I can’t believe the FA will be asked to force football fans to behave intelligently and politically correctly, with due regard for people’s sexuality and sexual sensitivity. That would be silly, especially since the fans involved are Spurs fans.
[Reply]
Charles Letterman
04. Oct, 2008
It must be terrible for this £50,000 a week professional to hear the people who paid his wages for so long take the piss out of him. Redknapp said: “Nobody likes being called filthy names and hearing other filthy abuse.It’s not right. What has that got to do with coming to a game? For a start there are kids there.”
That’s right Harry, because professional footballers are superb role models for kids aren’t they? And you’re right, nobody likes being called names. But then again, not many of us have the luxury of being in a high paid profession where you don’t have to take responsibility for anything.
Witness last November’s England crunch match against Croatia on a wet Wednesday night. You could see all that Campbell, Lampard and Gerrard wanted to do was to get the match over with and go back to their million pound mansions.
OK Sol, they’re chanting that you’re gay and that you indulge in homosexual activities. Is that really ‘filthy’? Just grow up and recognise just how much these people put into the game that has made you a very wealthy man.
[Reply]
Leave a reply