Groundsman suspended over racist abuse charge
AHEAD groundsman at Rochdale Football Club has been suspended from all football for six weeks after a commission ruled he racially abused a man after a game.
The man, who was working as a media presenter reporting on the match, had stepped out onto the pitch and was walking over to the dugouts to carry out postmatch interviews with the managers when there was a ‘heated altercation’ with Joshua Haigh, an FA tribunal heard.
Groundsman Haigh’s subsequent behaviour towards him, after the man had crossed the pitch, gone down the players’ tunnel and emerged again, was described as ‘appalling and totally without justification or excuse’.
Haigh was alleged to have said: “Look at your f ****** s*** trainers. It’s exactly the same as your f ****** s*** hair and your s*** skin. I see all of it. I see everything that’s about you.”
It followed the League Two game at Spotland between Rochdale and Stockport County, which County won 2-1, in February.
Haigh denied the Football Association charge against him, saying he did not make reference, whether express or implied, to the man’s race or colour, but it was found proven by an independent regulatory commission following a subsequent hearing and Haigh was sanctioned for breaching FA Rule E3.
His suspension from all football and footballrelated activity means he cannot attend Dale games both home and away. The sanction passed also includes ‘face-to-face education’ and a warning over his future conduct.
The commission’s written reasons have now been published by the FA.
The man was seen on CCTV at 9.51pm stepping onto the pitch carrying bags. Two other people had already crossed the pitch and others, possibly children playing, were also on the surface. There was no audio evidence.
“As the complainant was on or near the centre circle he was approached by Mr Haigh, who along with other groundsmen, had been working on the pitch,” said the published ruling.
“Unfortunately the CCTV did not have audio and therefore the commission has to rely upon the video footage as supplemented by the evidence of the witnesses to understand what was said and when it was said.
“Another practical difficulty is that that the CCTV footage cut off at 10pm in accordance with Rochdale’s usual practice.
“The actual incident giving rise to the charge is said to have occurred just after that cut-off point.”
Haigh, in FA interviews, claimed he approached the man and politely asked him to leave the pitch because he wasn’t allowed to be on it. The man, however, said Haigh was ‘extremely aggressive’ towards him and shouting.
“The complainant says there was no racist abuse at that stage, only shouting and aggressive language from Mr Haigh.
Although there is no audio with the CCTV it can be seen that the exchange was likely to have been heated,” adds the ruling.
The man went down the players’ tunnel then came out again. Haigh walked back over to him, and told the FA the man was shouting at him. The man, however, alleged Haigh was shouting at him.
Haigh and the man then walked along the touchline towards a coroner of the ground. The groundsman claimed the presenter was walking partly on and off the pitch and said he ‘kept his composure and was polite in asking the complainant to remain off the pitch’, no making any reference to the man’s skin colour, appearance or trainers.
But the complaint said there was a ‘continuation of the aggression and abusive language that he was met with’ on the pitch.
The ruling states: “This is when he tapped me and said to me ‘look at your ‘f ****** s*** trainers. It’s exactly the same as your f ****** s*** hair and your s*** skin. I see all of it. I see everything that’s about you’.”
The commission said it was faced with a ‘stark contrast in the two accounts given’. The panel, however, said it found
Haigh ‘was not a credible witness’ and was guilty of the offence ‘on the balance of probabilities’.
The media presenter, or who he was working for, hasn’t been revealed.
In a statement, the club said: “Rochdale AFC acknowledges and respects the findings of the Independent Regulatory Commission in relation to the recent case between its employee, Joshua Haigh, and The FA.
“No further comment will be made at this time.”