Kettering Town 'cannot hide' from its racism problem
Kettering Town says it "can no longer hide" from the issue of racism after a visiting Redditch player was allegedly subjected to "sickening" abuse.
Key points
- Redditch United player Dan Sweeney said he was targeted by a Kettering supporter during Saturday's Southern League Premier Division Central tie at the Poppies' Latimer Park stadium, which the hosts won 2-1.
- The incident comes after a match official reported alleged racial abuse at a Kettering fixture last season, and a previous instance of alleged racist abuse against a Redditch player at Latimer Park in 2017.
- We can no longer hide behind the comforting lie that 'it's just a small minority' or 'they don't reflect the majority of our fans'.
"We note Kettering Town FC's statement that it is working with its security team, stewards and the relevant authorities to identify those responsible, and we would encourage anyone who believes they have been the victim of a crime to report it to police.
In a statement, Kettering director of football Fabian Forde said the "poison" of racism went beyond matchdays.
Additional details
- He also spoke out against the presence of what he called "festering" racism on the club's fans forums.
- Is that really who we want to be?" Forde added that the club could not "keep sending out generic statements that mean nothing" and urged fans to support "real cultural change" by taking responsibility for calling out the perpetrators of racist abuse.
- "We must never allow incidents like this to become normalised, dismissed or simply forgotten once the immediate attention has passed." The Football Association has also been approached for comment.
- Should a report be made elsewhere and the alleged offence be found to have taken place within Northamptonshire, we would take ownership of the investigation.
- It requires leadership, accountability and a collective willingness to challenge unacceptable behaviour whenever and wherever it occurs.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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