Player takes former club to tribunal after he was ‘racially abused’ by fan
A FOOTBALLER felt ‘unsupported’ by his club after hearing a fan had shouted racial abuse at him during a game, an employment tribunal has been told.
Rico Quitongo has taken former club Airdrieonians FC and one of the Lanarkshire side’s directors, Paul Hetherington, to the tribunal over allegations of racial discrimination.
The 22-year-old claimed he was racially abused by a fan during a game last year.
The club carried out an investigation into the matter but it was later dropped due to ‘insufficient evidence’.
In a statement to the hearing in Glasgow, Mr Quitongo said he was told on September 11 last year that someone had overheard an Airdrie fan racially abusing him at the game that day.
He said he felt ‘disgusted’ after listening to a voice message telling him about the racist slur, and the following day he reported the incident to the club.
Mr Quitongo said he feels the club should have issued a statement condemning the incident, and that, by September 14, he was upset about the incident and the club’s ‘poor response’, which left him feeling ‘unsupported’.
Lawyer Andrew Maxwell, representing the club and Mr Hetherington, said the club put out a statement on September 15 which confirmed investigations into the incident were ongoing and said they will not tolerate racism.
In October, Mr Quitongo was told he was being placed on two weeks’ leave of absence to help clear his head, and he alleges he was not selected for five games because of the situation. He now plays for Queen of the South. The tribunal continues.