Soccer boss leaves club after Hitler-retort row
A FOOTBALL manager accused of making an antisemitic remark during a match against a team with Jewish roots has left his club.
Enfield Town boss George Borg was alleged to have told supporters of Wingate and Finchley: “You may be winning, but Hitler is going to deal with you.”
The remarks — which he denies — are said to have come at half-time in a Ryman Premier League fixture at Enfield’s Queen Elizabeth II stadium, when the team were losing 3-0.
Anti-racism campaign group Kick It Out confirmed that it received an anonymous complaint and informed the FA, which has launched an investigation.
M r B o r g acknowledged that he made a r e f e r e n c e to Hitler, but denied it was antisemitic. He said he was responding to Wingate fans who were chanting about his late mother and singing “die, Borgy die”.
He said: “All I said was ‘they sound like Hitler’ because they want me dead. I just lost it. No one has every chanted at me like that. I am apologising because I shouldn’t have mentioned Hitler. I’ve been in football 30 years and not once have I ever made a racist comme n t o r had a problem with someone’s religion or race. I’m nowhere near being racist.”
In a statement, Enfield Town said it had “parted company” with their manager but declined to comment further.
Mr Borg said that, after the match he had had “a bit of a row with the chairman” over what he saw as the failure of stewards to stop the chanting.
He said: “They should have done somethingaboutit.Theclubandthereferee should have stopped the game. I’m not having this thrown at me because Enfield want to keep their name clean. I’m being used as a scapegoat.”
Wingate and Finchley denied its fans had made offensive chants. The club said: “There were a very small section of supporters at the match in question. The club wish to make it clear that any allegations made by George Borg as to the conduct of that group are categorically denied.”
Wingate and Finchley was founded as a Jewish club and has a Star of David in its crest.
It does not currently have any Jewish players.