Bristol Rovers fan given 16-week match ban
The man from Kingswood sent a racially abusive message to the club's owner
A Bristol Rovers fan has been banned from going to games after sending a racially abusive message to the club's owner.
The man in his 30s from Kingswood who has not been named, sent the message to Wael Al Qadi on Twitter after Rovers drew 1-1 with 10 man Barrow on Saturday 28 August.
The Tweet was sent from an anonymous account and later deleted, but an investigation by Avon and Somerset Police, with help from the UK Football Policing Unit and the English Football League, was able to identify the man.
Dedicated football officer PC Mark Neal said: “Football is a passionate game, but there can be no excuse for sending vile and offensive messages. There is absolutely no place in our society for racism.
“This was a hate crime. Nobody should be forced to endure such abuse.
“We’d urge anyone who experiences any hate abuse to make sure they report it to police. All such reports will be taken seriously and we hope this case shows that offenders will be pursued and dealt with.
“We are grateful for the support of Bristol Rovers and Mr Al-Qadi while we investigated this matter.”
The man has been given a conditional caution and will have to attend a hate crime awareness course.
He has also been handed a 16-week football banning order, which means he won't be able to attend any Rovers fixtures home or away, or any England international matches during that period.
Under the terms of his football banning order, he also cannot attend the surrounding area where those games are being played for a fixed number of hours either side of the match.
Commenting on the news, Bristol Rovers chief executive Tom Gorringe called the Gas a "family club" adding abuse of any kind will not be tolerated.
"The vast majority of our supporters are positive and supportive, but anyone found to be acting in a discriminatory manner, will face the appropriate sanctions and will not be welcome here at The Mem," he said.
"The rise in social media abuse is a national problem and not one confined just to our club or sport, however, positive action as has been the base here hopefully will help tackle the issue and raise awareness of the affects of what is said online."