Football ground ban pair now in election running

TWO men who were banned from football grounds across the UK after admitting their involvement in violent incidents at matches are hoping to be elected as councillors in next month’s elections.

Rhodri Boosey and Matthew Mackinnon are both standing as Conservative candidates in the forthcoming Powys County Council elections – Mr Boosey in Glasbury, where he will be trying to unseat Welsh Liberal Democrat group leader James Gibson-watt, and Mr Mackinnon in Llangorse.

In 2012, when they were both aged 20, they were among five Swansea City fans given banning orders for three years, following incidents at matches involving the club.

The bans were imposed at a civil hearing held at Swansea Magistrates’ Court.

Apart from being banned from Swansea City’s ground, then known as the Liberty Stadium, they were also ordered not to enter any town or city where Swansea City or Wales were playing away on the day of a match.

The order was made on the basis that they had caused or contributed to violence and disorder. The court agreed they should be banned despite never having been arrested or convicted of football-related violence.

A spokeswoman for the Welsh Conservatives said: “Both Matthew Mackinnon and Rhodri Boosey have been open and honest about the incidents in question, which happened when they were much younger. There is no doubting their immature actions were serious and unacceptable, but they did not result in criminal convictions.

“Since then, both have gone on to work hard for their communities in a number ways, and now wish to further their commitment by standing as candidates in the upcoming elections.”

Mr Boosey said he had “nothing further to add” to the official comment from the party.

Mr Mackinnon worked for former Brecon and Radnorshire MP Chris Davies, and is now an adviser to the same constituency’s MS James Evans

Mr Mackinnon said: “At this time in my life my mother was undergoing treatment for cancer and was extremely ill, it was a time when I was very emotionally vulnerable.

“I was associated with individuals that I shouldn’t have been and was given a pre-emptive ban as I was made guilty by association.

“I have never in my life been charged with a criminal offence, and in my career I am expected to pass enhanced DBS checks.”

Mr Mackinnon was formerly the director of the right-wing think tank the Centre for Welsh Studies, which is openly pro-brexit and whose board of advisers includes former Secretary of State for Wales David Jones, Vale of Clwyd MP James Davies and Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton.

Last year, we revealed how the Centre for Welsh Studies had received funding from a United States-based global organisation called the Atlas Network that seeks to promote right-wing free market ideology across the world.

The mission of Atlas, according to John Blundell, its president from 1987 to 1990, “is to litter the world with free-market think-tanks”.

Mr Mackinnon told us: “We are the only think tank in Wales that supports the free market, so it’s not surprising that we should wish to work in partnership with the Atlas Network.

“We have received grants of a few thousand pounds from it.”