McInnes blasts racist fan after Sinclair abuse in Betfred Cup final
ABERDEEN manager Derek McInnes insists there is no room for racism in Scottish football as he reacted to a video during the Betfred League Cup final on Sunday when a supporter in the Dons section of Hampden was recorded racially abusing Celtic’s Scott Sinclair as he prepared to take a penalty.
In the video (inset), the Celtic winger is abused just before he steps up to take the penalty, saved by Dons goalkeeper Joe Lewis, and after the Hoops player tweeted that the incident was “an absolute disgrace for the ignorance of the uneducated fan shouting racial abuse”. McInnes backed his comment.
“Any racial abuse, in this day and age, is shocking,” he said. “It’s embarrassing for the individual. It’s not a club issue for me. It’s the individual.
“That type of comment was maybe normal practice in the 60s and 70s, and it was appalling then and shocking then, but it is even more so now.
“It’s shocking that Scott Sinclair and any other player is still subjected to that.”
McInnes was also keen to mention what he described as a “real injustice” at having his striker, Sam Cosgrove, ordered off against Rangers following two yellow cards, and so can’t appeal the decision.
Cosgrove will miss the visit to Pittodrie today of St Johnstone, sitting in fifth place in the Premiership, just one point above Aberdeen, who have a game in hand.
McInnes maintains Cosgrove was harshly treated and has called, not only for VAR to be introduced into Scottish football, but for referees to become full-time officials.
“There is a boy there, getting paid to play who can’t even play,” he said of Cosgrove. “It’s ridiculous, it really is, based on the wrong decision.
“But mistakes happen, and I do think that our authorities should be looking to try VAR, or some sort of system similar to VAR.
“Every top-flight league in Europe will have it in the next couple of seasons I’m pretty sure. Every major competition will have it.
“We can’t get left behind and we’ve got to make sure we’re at the forefront.”