Love issued Notice of Complaint for racist abuse
CLYDE’S Ally Love could be suspended sine die if found guilty of repeatedly racially abusing an opponent on his debut for the club.
SportTimes understands that Love has been accused of using the term “p**i b*****d” towards Annan Athletic’s Rabin Omar on several occasions during a League Two match on January 2.
And when Omar intimated that he wanted to sort the problem after the match, which took place at Broadwood, Love is alleged to have said: “Will it just be you or are you going to bring your p**i pals?”
The SFA have issued Love with a Notice of Complaint and Tony McGlennan, the Head of Compliance, wrote to both clubs last week asking for their version of events.
SportTimes were told that Love allegedly made other racist comments during the match, which he denied at half-time when Omar complained to referee Scott Millar, and the verbal abuse was heard by players from both Annan and Clyde.
If found guilty, Love would face a ban between four and 16 matches going by SFA regulations, and his punishment, should he be handed one, is likely to be severe for the 26-yearold, who played over 70 games with Annan during a two-year spell at the club.
Omar, who was born in Holland to a family originally from Iraqi Kurdistan, is expected to be backed by Clyde players as well as his own teammates. Indeed, two of his opponents on the day are believed to have provided assistance to referee Millar after the match.
Love will attend a meeting at Hampden to discuss the case. The former Brechin City player has until Wednesday January 17 to respond to the charge, with a principal hearing set for February 1.
Clyde would come under huge pressure to sack the player if he failed to prove his innocence. All a spokesperson for the Cumbernauld club would say yesterday was: “We are aware of the notice of complaint; however, we will not be commenting.”
Former Celtic winger Aleksandar Tonev was banned for seven games after being found guilty of racially abusing Aberdeen’s Shay Logan in 2004.