No action taken by The FA over alleged racist abuse...
FOLLOWING a complaint lodged with The Football Association by Wolverhampton Wanderers FC of alleged racist abuse by Walsall FC fan(s) towards two Wolves players, The FA have today written to Walsall FC to confirm the following.“Walsall FC immediately started an investigation and we have now received the club’s full response.
"Walsall have advised The FA that no reports of racist abuse were made to the control room on the day by stewards or police and that nothing was reported by the match officials. Since the game, Walsall have carried out a full review of the CCTV footage and advise that there is nothing of evidential use in respect of racist behaviour. Also that at their subsequent home game on 11th March the club took the opportunity to question all stewards working in the relevant areas of the ground and none of them reported hearing any racist abuse at the Wolves game.
"In the circumstances, we can confirm that The FA is not in a position to take any further action in this matter.”
"Walsall have advised The FA that no reports of racist abuse were made to the control room on the day by stewards or police and that nothing was reported by the match officials. Since the game, Walsall have carried out a full review of the CCTV footage and advise that there is nothing of evidential use in respect of racist behaviour. Also that at their subsequent home game on 11th March the club took the opportunity to question all stewards working in the relevant areas of the ground and none of them reported hearing any racist abuse at the Wolves game.
"In the circumstances, we can confirm that The FA is not in a position to take any further action in this matter.”
No reports of racist abuse were made to the control room on the day by stewards or police. Safety Officer, Scott Hamilton, and the independent FA crowd control adviser present on the day went to see the match officials 45 minutes after the end of the match and they did not refer to any reports of racism. The first Walsall FC were aware of this issue was upon notification from Wolves on the Monday following the Saturday fixture.
Walsall Football Club have taken the allegation very seriously and have fully co-operated with The FA and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
We promote an inclusive philosophy. We are proud of the work we undertake within the local community and beyond and are committed to social inclusion. Walsall is a multi-cultural town and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.
We work closely with ‘Kick Racism Out of Football’ and host annual fixtures promoting their campaign and our players regularly hold talks with local youngsters in the community about the importance of social inclusion, using football as a means to educate and shape their mindset.
We promote a ‘Share The Passion’ Campaign aimed at eradicating bad language at our fixtures. This is a long-term project. The slogan features in every Matchday Programme, there are posters up throughout the stadium and, regularly, our players can be seen on social media sites promoting the campaign.
Walsall Football Club has a long and proud history and plays a very important role in the town. Our Community Team reach out to thousands of youngsters in the Borough and we have earned a reputation, that we are extremely proud of, of being a family-orientated, community-led, inclusive football club.
We have an excellent working relationship with Wolverhampton Wanderers, its staff, officials and players and wish them every success for the remainder of the season and beyond.