I was racially abused ...we had to walk off
Haringey star speaks out after FA Cup shame
AHaringey defender says he was called a ‘black c***’ by a spectator during Saturday’s Fa Cup tie which was abandoned.
Coby rowe told Sportsmail the comment was hurled at him after his side’s Cameroonian goalkeeper Valery Pajetat was allegedly spat at and had stones and a bottle thrown at him during their fourth qualifying round fixture with yeovil Town.
rowe’s comments come as the Fa and police continue to investigate following Haringey’s decision to walk off the pitch in the 64th minute while trailing 1-0.
Both clubs will go into tonight’s televised first-round draw as the probes continue, with anti-racism campaigners Kick it Out due to hold talks with the Fa today.
rowe explained: ‘Valery definitely was abused. People were spitting at him and stuff like that.
‘i went to get the ball out of the goal after they scored the penalty and then a yeovil player was telling their fans to calm down because the game might get called off, which obviously nobody wanted.
‘i was with him, just telling them to calm down and that’s when they started getting more aggressive and throwing stuff, swearing and all sorts and when i heard the racist comment, that’s when i got upset and it all kicked off. The fan said: “Black c word”.’
rowe, who was restrained from confronting the yeovil supporters, added: ‘i was in a bit of a trance. i was angry and upset, so wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on by me. i felt someone pull me, it was my manager.
‘He said: “We are all going off, we are not playing any more”. yeovil agreed and we left the pitch as one.
‘We were in separate changing rooms and there was a lot of back and forth between the Fa, referees and what the options were. We said we didn’t want to go back out because our safety couldn’t be guaranteed, but not just that. it was just out of pride and respect. We are not going to go out and play in front of people like that.
‘it’s not something new to me where i grew up and what’s happened in my life. it hasn’t shocked me. Obviously it is upsetting. The boys are taken aback because the whole situation exploded at once.
‘We just have to keep doing what we do and being who we are. We can’t change for people who are uneducated and act like that.’
rowe disclosed that fear of punishment following the decision to walk off played no part in the isthmian League Premier Division club’s thinking.
‘it wasn’t a worry at all,’ he said. ‘That was one of the first things that was said. We didn’t care about the outcome, we just had to do what was right for the people who in the past or in the future may be too scared to do something like that. We just had to do what was right at that time. We’ve been playing as a team and it’s bigger than football, it’s people’s lives.’
The Metropolitan Police are leading the investigation and are liaising with their counterparts at avon and Somerset. The Fa’s on-field regulation team launched an investigation moments after the abandonment. The priority will be to establish the facts before any decision is made on the status of the match.
They have got observations from the officials and both clubs and are in contact with the police.
There is an acceptance that this is a complex situation. at this stage, the prospect of either side being kicked out of the competition is unlikely. although the Fa are mindful of the seriousness of the allegations, a severe punishment against yeovil could set a precedent that might leave matches open to opportunistic sabotage. The national League side from Somerset said in a statement that they would co-operate ‘with the authorities and our friends at Haringey Borough’.
They added: ‘We are aware there are allegations that racist comments were made in the crowd and this will be a key part of any investigation. irrespective of the outcome of any investigations, we would like to make it clear that the club will not accept racism or discrimination in any form.’
Meanwhile, Bristol City are investigating claims that racist language was used in the away end during Saturday’s Championship fixture at Luton Town. Luton are assisting the robins with their enquiries. Both incidents come less than a week after a number of england players were racially abused during their 6-0 win in Bulgaria.