24 year old banned from all English football fields for racism
A 24-year-old man who posted racist incitement towards Brentford striker Ivan Toney on social media has been banned from all English football for three years in court.
It is according BBC the first time a judge in the UK has used a new law that provides the opportunity to impose such a sentence. The 24-year-old from Blyth was also given a four-month suspended sentence, but he was banned for three years from attending football matches in England and also traveling abroad to watch football.
In October, Toney published a direct message she received from the man on Instagram, and police are treating it as a hate crime case. The 24-year-old pleaded guilty in January to writing the messages, and has now received his sentence.
– It sends a strong message. I am personally satisfied that the racist incitement is now ending up in court. “I don’t think the punishment was severe enough but it’s a step in the right direction,” said Brentford manager Thomas Frank in a commentary.
Kick It Out, an organization that fights racism and discrimination in football, welcomed the ruling in a statement and said it wanted it to serve as a guideline for dealing with similar cases. (NTB)
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