STAMP IT OUT
McInnes’ plea after increase in racial abuse
DEREK McINNES is leading the calls to stamp racism out of football after a worrying rise in players being abused at Scottish matches.
Hearts have issued indefinite bans to two fans for allegedly racially abusing Motherwell’s Christian Mbulu at the weekend.
Police Scotland made two arrests at Tynecastle following Hearts’ 1-0 win, after Mbulu was allegedly subjected to sickening taunts from a section of the home support as he warmed up.
It is the third such incident to hit Scottish football in recent weeks.
Falkirk’s Dennon Lewis claimed he was abused by his own fans during their Scottish Cup defeat to Stenhousemuir, while Celtic’s Scott Sinclair was targeted by an Aberdeen supporter during the Betfred Cup final.
South of the border, meanwhile, Chelsea have suspended four people from attending matches following allegations that Raheem Sterling was racially abused at Stamford
Bridge on Saturday evening. And last night Aberdeen manager McInnes said: ‘That’s been two or three things in quick succession and that’s pushed it back to the forefront. It has to be at the forefront, if it’s still there. ‘Any sort of discrimination in football has to be stamped out and we’ve got to make sure we are the bigger voice in that. ‘It’s so disappointing when you hear that it’s still relevant in this day and age. ‘We’ve spoken often enough about how it was normal practice a few generations ago. It was wrong then and it was vilified then. But it shows there is still work to be done. ‘It is still a minority but it’s not acceptable. Clubs do an awful lot. Certainly we do a lot to support anti-racism campaigns. We feel that we are a club for all, we try to embrace all aspects of our community.’ PFA Scotland chief Fraser Wishart has called on increased education to kick racism out of the game, saying: ‘It is incredibly disappointing to see the recent rise in verbal racist attacks in Scottish football. ‘No player should have to face verbal abuse of any sort at their workplace. It is totally unacceptable and must stop. ‘Show Racism the Red Card do a lot of good outreach work in our communities but these incidents show there is still a lot of education to be done across not just football, but society as a whole.’ The rise in incidents of racist abuse at games comes as Dundee United prepare to quiz defender Jamie Robson after a picture, which Sportsmail understands to be of the player ‘blacked up’ in fancy dress, was posted on social media. The club have launched an investigation, and last night a United spokesperson said: ‘We will be speaking to the player and the content of this discussion will remain internal.’ Meanwhile, the Show Racism the Red Card charity have also expressed concern at the rise in incidents of racism at Scottish matches. A spokesperson said: ‘We are shocked and saddened to see a number of allegations of racist abuse towards players in recent weeks. ‘We welcome the swift police action in response to the incident at Tynecastle and the statement from Hearts who have always been firm supporters of our campaign. ‘There is no place for racism in Scotland or Scottish football and we encourage anyone who witnesses racism or experiences racism to tell a steward or call Police Scotland on 101.’ Back in February, Hearts striker Esmael Goncalves claimed being racially abused by the club’s own fans played a big role in him leaving for Uzbekistan side Pakhtakor Tashkent.