PFA Scotland demand end to racist abuse in SPFL
FRASER Wishart, the PFA Scotland chief executive, last night admitted that much work remains to be done to rid Scottish football of racism in the wake of a series of high-profile incidents.
Hearts issued two indefinite bans to supporters on Saturday after Motherwell player Christian Mbulu was abused in a Ladbrokes Premiership match at Tynecastle.
Falkirk player Dennon Lewis suffered the same treatment at the hands of his own club’s fans during their Scottish Cup defeat to Stenhousemuir at Ochilview last month.
Elsewhere, Celtic winger Scott Sinclair was allegedly targeted by an Aberdeen supporter during the Betfred Cup final at Hampden last month.
“It is incredibly disappointing to see the recent rise in verbal racist attacks in Scottish Football,” said Wishart. “No player should have to face verbal abuse of any sort at their workplace, it is totally unacceptable and must stop.
“Show Racism the Red Card do a lot of good outreach work in our communities, but these incidents show there is still a lot of education to be done across not just football, but society as a whole.”
Show Racism the Red Card, the anti-racism educational charity, admitted they were concerned by the sudden rise in incidents.
A Show Racism the Red Card spokesperson said: “We welcome the swift Police action in response to the incident at Tynecastle this weekend and the statement from Hearts who have always been firm supporters of the Show Racism the Red Card campaign.”