Haringey chairman says walk-off for alleged racism must be watershed moment
Haringey Borough’s chairman, Aki Achillea, hopes the actions of his players in walking off the pitch after suffering alleged racial abuse from opposition fans will prove to be a watershed moment and prevent others from being targeted after Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Yeovil was abandoned.
Achillea said he feared for the future of football after members of the club’s coaching and playing staff were reduced to tears when the goalkeeper Valery Pajetat and defender Coby Rowe were subjected to alleged abuse five days after England’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria was marred by racist chanting.
Police said no arrests had been made but confirmed they were investigating alleged racism and reports that missiles were thrown on to the pitch. Achillea said stones were thrown at Pajetat from the away end before Yeovil scored a second-half penalty, and that the Cameroonian goalkeeper was also spat at on the head. The referee allegedly confirmed to Haringey staff that a water bottle hit Pajetat and a plastic beer bottle was thrown in the player’s direction. After the penalty was scored, Rowe was allegedly abused. Haringey left the pitch after 64 minutes with the score 1-0 to Yeovil.
Rowe was allegedly called “a monkey cunt” and Achillea said the defender was so incensed he had to be restrained from approaching away fans and that it felt impossible for the game to continue because “too many players were distressed by what they had seen or heard”. The Football Association is continuing its investigation, liaising with match officials, both clubs and the authorities to determine appropriate action.
“If the stand we have taken helps other clubs and stops other people from being abused then it’s all been worth it, whatever the personal cost to all of us,” Achillea said. “I hope it makes people sit up and take notice. It will be worthless if nothing comes of this that changes people’s perceptions and attitudes. If we are responsible for playing our part in identifying the problem, in helping people address the problem and people recognising that they cannot do this at football matches or anywhere in society, then I’ll be very proud that we contributed to that, regardless of the massive impact on us.
“These mindless idiots who think you can display that sort of attitude at a football match and get away with it will hopefully as a consequence of this realise that you can’t, and that there are consequences.
“It [walking off] made a very bold statement. It was incredible to see because there was a lot of support from our fans. There was a big round of applause but it’s reached the stage where people have realised somewhere [that] something has to be done but unfortunately it happened to us in the most prestigious cup competition in the world. It upsets and worries me immensely about the future.”
The Haringey coach, Dave Cumberbatch, said Saturday’s events act as a reminder that England cannot afford to point the finger at other nations over racism. “I’ve been saying that for a long time,” Cumberbatch said. “It’s still here. It’s there. Will it ever go away? Probably not. Can you educate people? I’m not sure. It’s a mind-set. I don’t think it’s going away tomorrow. Whatever the FA do, they have nothing in place to deal with this, unless they start moving the goalposts because of the public outcry. But is there anything in place? You can’t even get Uefa to do it properly, so what are we going to get at grassroots level?”
Achillea said he sympathised with Yeovil’s “exceptional” players and staff, who agreed the game should not have continued, and reiterated that “a small minority have tarnished” the club’s reputation.
In September a National League match between Hartlepool and Dover was held up because of alleged racial abuse directed at the striker Inih Effiong; FA inquiries are continuing. “Hartlepool were put in the same position as Yeovil,” Achillea added. “I don’t know if we’re going to be thrown out of the competition, I don’t know if Yeovil are going to be thrown out or if the FA are going to order a replay.”
Cumberbatch said he and the Haringey players are keen to complete the fourth-qualifying-round tie. “Personally, I think the game should be replayed and they shouldn’t be allowed to bring any supporters down,” he said.
The Metropolitan police are leading the investigation and colleagues from Avon and Somerset are helping with the inquiries.
Yeovil, who had one black player, Remeao Hutton, on the field when the players walked off, said they would cooperate “with the authorities and our friends at Haringey Borough”, adding: “We are aware that there are allegations that racist comments were made in the crowd and this allegation will be a key part of any investigation. Irrespective of the outcome of any investigations, we would like to make it clear the club will not accept racism or discrimination in any form.”