A Wolves fan has been convicted of racially abusing Rio Ferdinand at a Premier League match on May 23, 2021.
The fan, Jamie Arnold was found guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. He was ordered to pay a fine of £500 and was also given a three-year football banning order.
The court heard that the fan had directed racial abuse at Ferdinand, who was working as a pundit for BT Sport, while he was standing on the pitch after the match between Wolves and Manchester United.
Ferdinand, who is black, said that he had been shocked and disgusted by the abuse.
“I’ve been racially abused before in my career, but it never gets any easier. It’s still shocking and disgusting to hear someone direct such vile abuse at you.” Ferdinand said.
“I’m glad that this person has been convicted and that he will now face a football banning order. I hope that this sends a message out that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.” he added.
The Wolves fan is the first person to be convicted under the new Football (Offences) Act, which was introduced in 2021 to make it easier to prosecute people for football-related offences.
The Act was introduced in response to a rise in the number of racist and discriminatory incidents at football matches.
The Football Association (FA) welcomed the conviction and said that it would continue to work with the police and the courts to prosecute people who engage in such behaviour.
“We are pleased to see that the first person to be prosecuted under the new Football (Offences) Act has been convicted. This is a clear message that racial abuse will not be tolerated in football.” an FA spokesperson said.
“We will continue to work with the police and the courts to prosecute people who engage in such behaviour.
“We are also working with clubs and fans to promote equality and diversity in football.” he added.
The conviction of the Wolves fan is a positive step forward in the fight against racism in football. However, more needs to be done to tackle this problem.
The FA and the clubs need to continue to work hard to educate fans about the importance of equality and diversity. They also need to take a strong stance against racism and discrimination.
