Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The English club Brentford announced, on Tuesday, the issuance of a “historic ruling” to deny a fan entry to football stadiums in the country, after he directed racist abuse at the team’s striker, Evan Tony.
The club, which competes in the English Premier League (Premier League), said in a statement on its official website: “A man who insulted Evan Toni on social media has been banned from every stadium in the country in a historic ruling.”
The racist message was sent to Tony by an individual named Antonio Neil, 24, on October 14 last year. The club added: “After Tony shared a picture of the abuse he had received on his Instagram account, Northumbria Police, with the support of the Metropolitan Police, launched a full investigation.”
The statement continued: “The letter, which officers treated as a hate crime, was traced back to a suspect who was living at the time in the North Shields area.”
It continued: “On 25 January, Antonio Neil, of Rupert Street, Blyth, pleaded guilty to sending an offensive message when he appeared before the magistrates in Newcastle.”
Brentford FC explained: “Yesterday (Monday) in the same court, Antonio Neil was sentenced to 4 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, for an offense committed via the Internet in addition to a 3-year ban from entering football stadiums.”
The fan will be prohibited from attending any football match in the United Kingdom in various competitions, and will also be prohibited from traveling abroad to watch international friendlies, qualifiers and tournaments.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the English Premier League told the Premier League website that the league “will not tolerate racism in any form, and we encourage fans to continue reporting it.”
