Stenhousemuir probe 'racist and homophobic' abuse as match with Bonnyrigg Rose is marred by incidents

Stenhousemuir have confirmed they are investigating reports of homophobic language from within their support during Saturday’s League 2 match against Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic at New Dundas Park.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Meanwhile, the home side have issued a fan with an immediate ban for the alleged use of racist language against a Warriors’ player.

They have issued an immediate ban to a single supporter and issued an apology to Stenhousemuir for an alleged racist remark directed at one of the visiting players.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A separate investigation is also under way into an alleged homophobic remark made towards a Bonnyrigg player from within the Stenhousemuir support.

Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic's New Dundas Park (Photo: Simon Wootton/SNS Group)Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic's New Dundas Park (Photo: Simon Wootton/SNS Group)
Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic's New Dundas Park (Photo: Simon Wootton/SNS Group)

The Midlothian club said in a statement that it would “not tolerate such incidents” and thanked Stenhousemuir and their chairman Iain McMenemy for their “full co-operation and assistance”.

A statement read: Following reports made to the club of racist and homophobic language used at our match vs Stenhousemuir on Saturday, the club wishes to issue the following update.

"A ban has been issued to an individual with immediate effect for using racist language.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“If you were at the game yesterday and want to assist us with our on-going investigation into the homophobic language used, you can email either us here or Stenhousemuir here in the strictest of confidence.

"I would like to thank Iain McMenemy and Stenhousemuir football club for their full co-operation and assistance.

“Our club is proud to have players, committee, staff and supporters from a number of different backgrounds and cultures, and will continue to work alongside all other clubs throughout the country to ensure that all forms of discrimination are kicked out of the game.

“We will not tolerate such incidents and would like to remind all supporters of our Unacceptable Conduct and Ground Regulation policies.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Stenhousemuir said in a statement: “We would like to thank Bonnyrigg Rose Football Club for making us aware of two extremely disappointing incidents that took place during Saturday’s cinch League 2 match at New Dundas Park.

“Quite simply, there is no place whatsoever for any racist or homophobic abuse in football. This will never be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly and severely.

"There is no such thing as ‘banter’ or ‘a joke’ when it comes to racism or homophobia. Stenhousemuir Football Club will tolerate neither, and we join with our colleagues at Bonnyrigg Rose in acting swiftly and severely to deal with any such incidents.

“This will never be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly and severely. We are grateful to Bonnyrigg for their apology regarding the racist remark directed at one of our players from the home support.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We would like to offer our own sincere apology to Bonnyrigg Rose FC, and the player concerned, for the homophobic remark that was shouted during the game from within the Stenhousemuir support. Having been made aware of these incidents, we will be initiating an immediate investigation to try to identify those responsible for the homophobic remark so that we can take the appropriate action.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.