In news coming through, Rotherham United face starting their 2015/16 Championship season minus defender Kirk Broadfoot after he was handed a 10-game ban from the Football Association (FA) after being found guilty of misconduct. Print media are suggesting that the 10-game ban is due to sectarian abuse from Broadfoot towards Wigan Athletic’s James McClean during The Millers 2-1 loss to The Lactics on March 14, 2015.
In a statement entitled ‘Kirk Broadfoot suspended for ten games after charge proven’, the FA state that,
“The charge was that during a league fixture between Rotherham and Wigan Athletic on March 14 2015 Broadfoot used abusive and/or insulting words towards a member of the opposition, in breach of FA Rule E3(1).It was further alleged that the breach was an “Aggravated Breach” as defined by Rule E3(2).” Football Association statement – July 24, 2015
The particulars of the charge will not be known as there is a confidentiality clause around the case but the suspected sectarian abuse will stem from the religious backgrounds of both players. James McClean was born into a staunch Catholic family in Derry, Northern Ireland and has courted controversy with his stance regarding what were known as ‘The Troubles’. McClean’s stance saw him refuse to play in a Sunderland shirt bearing a poppy, he has turned his back on the Union Flag and, for his new club West Bromwich Albion, refused to sing the British National Anthem. Kirk Broadfoot was born into a Protestant family in Ayshire, Scotland and is thought to be a staunch supporter of certain traditions that are linked to his religious beliefs.
It is also thought that Broadfoot has been fined £7,500 and ordered to complete an education programme. The ban itself, with it being 10 games in length, represents the longest ban handed down by The FA for verbal abuse, beating the length of the previous eight-game ban handed to then-Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for racially abusing Manchester United’s French full-back Patrice Evra.
featured image: credit Jonesy702 (Wikipedia Commons)
