According to the prosecution, an English football supporter was found guilty on Monday of sending racist and expletive-filled emails to Gareth Southgate, the manager of the national side.
After England’s June 2018 loss to Hungary in Budapest, Brian Martin, 36, wrote Southgate a message.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Adam Featherstone issued a statement saying that “the content of this message was not only egregiously offensive, but racist.”
Have fun reviewing movies and drinks
Martin had used messages of a racist nature to refer to players of colour in the team, criticised Southgate for decisions he had taken, and objected to the England team’s decision to “take the knee,” the Crown Prosecution Service said.
He accepted he had sent the email but denied it was offensive. He was found guilty on Monday of sending an offensive or indecent message at York Magistrates’ Court. He will be sentenced next month.
Following England’s defeat in the final of European Championship in 2020, Black players in the team were subjected to a series of online racist abuse which prompted a police investigation and drew widespread condemnation.
The most recent prosecution occurs as England’s World Cup campaign gets underway in Qatar, and authorities are working to crack down on any racist or disrespectful remarks made there.
The prosecution service’s chief national sports prosecutor, Douglas Mackay, warned World Cup spectators against “letting their emotions overflow into racist abuse of athletes for what they do on the pitch.”
“We will use these powers to those who we prosecute,” he said. “The law has been extended so that those who abuse players online face being banned from watching football.”
