Robertson: Act on evidence

Sports minister Hugh Robertson has called on clubs and the police to take action against racism following a Sky Sports News investigation.

Last Updated: 12/02/13 at 08:36

Hugh Robertson: Action must be taken against racism

Hugh Robertson: Action must be taken against racism

The Special Report team visited grounds from lower leagues to the Premier League last year and although abuse was not widespread, several incidents of vile chanting were recorded.

The broadcast focused largely on incidents at Millwall, where Leeds striker El-Hadji Diouf was subjected to 56 separate incidents of abuse by five white men.

And, in light of the broadcast, Robertson has called for the club and police to act on the evidence gathered by Sky Sports News.

He said: "I've always thought football has moved forward from where it was 20 or 30 years ago.

"But we have always known that this is not a battle that is won in any way, shape or form and that is precisely what your film proves.

"I think the message is very clear. It would help enormously if you would hand that evidence over to the clubs. I hope they will in turn hand it over directly to the police and we will see if criminal incidents have taken place.

"Then what is really important is that anybody involved in this sort of behaviour is identified and if found guilty are then punished.

"I suspect that one of the reasons that clubs may have not taken action in the past is because of the lack of evidence. Clearly as a result of what you have shown, that evidence is there so there is little or no reason for the clubs or the police not to take effective action."

Football365 Facebook Fan Page

The Football365 fan page is a great place to meet like minded people, have football related discussions and make new friends.

Related News

Sky Bet

    • Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds

Most Commented

Readers' Comments

I

m curious as to what image Real Madrid are trying to re-establish as I always thought their pre-Jose image was one of a bunch of a classless bullies tapping up whoever they wanted while living it large on borrowed money they're never going to pay back.

john matrix
Perez Will Spend Big To Forget Jose...

A

t the start of the season, after the RVP transfer, I confidently claimed that Arsenal would finish above United. I now regret it immensely.

Fuzzy_Dunlop
Reflecting On The F365 Pre-Season Predictions

D

aniel Storey generally did very well, going against the City won it last year so they're bound to win it this time grain. As for John Nicholson, I wouldn't trust him to predict correctly what day of the week it will be tomorrow.

Griff
Reflecting On The F365 Pre-Season Predictions

Footer 365

Pardew given top-10 target

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has been told to aim for at least a top-10 finish next season as he tries to bounce back from a disastrous campaign.

High five trophy target for City

Manchester City's new manager will join a club expecting to win five trophies in the next five years, says chief executive Ferran Soriano.

Manchester City fight back from three goals down to beat Chelsea 4-3

Manchester City fought back from 3-0 down to beat Chelsea 4-3 in a thrilling friendly at Busch Stadium in St Louis.

Mail Box

More Scared Of Losing AVB Than Bale...

We thought we would have to resort to another mailbox about maths but we've had some grand opinions about Man United, Newcastle, Tottenham and more. Oh and maths...

An Ode To Rafa And Loads More Mails...

We have one Chelsea fan who recognises the job done by Rafa Benitez while there's maths from Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester. And Shawcross to Arsenal? Nah...

© 2013 British Sky Broadcasting Ltd. All Rights Reserved