Grassroots football club boycott cup tie over opponents’ ‘horrific misogyny’
Players at the community-owned football club Camden and Islington United (Candi) decided to boycott their Sunday Wembley Cup semi-final after being exposed to “horrific examples of misogyny” by their opponents, Munter Hunters FC.
Candi are holders of the Sunday Wembley Cup but, after reporting the issue to the London Football League and the Amateur Football Alliance, they withdrew from the competition after the league refused to postpone the game while the case was investigated. The league subsequently agreed to a postponement pending the outcome of an Amateur FA investigation.
“Some things are bigger than football,” said Kai-Yen Thomas, the men’s player representative on the Candi board. “We have a deep respect for the 80-plus female players at our club, the women who coach us and the women who serve on our board. We can’t share a pitch with a team with such a derogatory social media presence. We hope that the league and the FA will resolve this urgently so we can get back to playing our football.”
Candi knew their league and cup opponents as MHFC, the name with which they are registered in the London Football League and with the Amateur FA. The club became aware the initials stood for Munter Hunters FC when they were tagged in a post containing offensive content on social media before their cup tie. Munter is a derogatory term for someone who is unattractive and is typically targeted at women. After further investigation they found more offensive content on the team’s public social media platforms.
MHFC said they were in contact with the FA and that because there was an ongoing investigation they would not be commenting at this time.
Nick Wigmore, the founder and chief executive of Candi and a player on the Sunday team, said: “We built Camden and Islington United precisely because we wanted to show that football could and should be done differently. We have over 50% women on our board, we have an equal number of men’s and women’s teams, and we have women coaching across genders. Similarly, we have coaches, both men and women, with Black and Asian heritage leading the women’s programme, which has historically excluded women from global ethnic majorities .… This recent incident reconfirms that there is still much work to be done, to educate and embolden leagues to take decisive action when they are made aware of offensive and discriminatory behaviour.” Candi said in a statement that they would not play against MHFC “until the league demonstrates the will and ability to take meaningful action”.
The London Football League confirmed it had postponed the fixture and said: “We prefer to await the conclusion of the FA investigation before offering our opinion on this matter.”
The Amateur FA chief executive, Jason Kilby, said they “take all reports of inappropriate behaviour seriously” and are “committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity amongst our workforce and throughout Amateur FA football”.
Kilby added: “We have spoken to the competition and advised that they postpone the fixture while an investigation is completed. As a sanctioned competition, we advise them of processes in applying their competition rules. We are following FA regulations in the investigation of misconduct and are working with the FA’s grassroots disciplinary team as this is a serious case.”
A Football Association spokesperson said: “We are working with the Amateur Football Alliance to support their investigation so that the appropriate steps can be taken. We strongly condemn all forms of misogyny, which has no place in football or wider society, and we will ensure action is taken against any club or individual that is found guilty of this behaviour. All allegations of this nature are taken very seriously and will not be tolerated in our game.”
Kat Craig, the chair of Candi, said: “We are incredibly proud of our Sunday men’s team players, and the allyship they have shown. Sometimes solidarity requires a sacrifice, and we’re grateful for their support and that of all of our players, sponsors, members and the wider community in taking this stance. We want football to be a place for all, and we want those words to mean something. We hope this small gesture will spark positive change.”