Racism In Football - Is This An Own Goal?

Sentencing Quadri, from Dartford, District Judge Louisa Cieciora said: ‘You demonstrated hostility based on the victim's race and of course it was in a public forum.

‘I have to take into account the wider context - particularly that footballers have been taking the knee in all games to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to fight racism and all forms of discrimination, and the fact that the comment is likely to be seen by a wider audience, and the harm caused by racism is of course pervasive and should never be underestimated.'

He was upset a black footballer passed the ball to a white teammate, and clearly felt not a twinge of shame about stating it so clearly no-one could deny he was racist.  

Prosecutor Frances McCormack told Westminster Magistrates' Court Quadri used the the name @quadz19 on X when he made the post. This was reported to the football association and the police began investigating it.

Mr McCormack said: 'He stated in an interview that he didn’t think the comments were offensive because he was a black male himself, so he did make partial admissions but not full admissions.

'He made the comment because in that particular match at that particular time the previous four people who had scored a goal for England had been black, and he said that if Mr Wilson had scored a goal there would have been an all black scoring sheet.'

 His brief could only fall back on his age as a possible excuse. 

James Powell, defending Quadri, said: 'This is an indication more of immaturity rather than wickedness.

'There’s been no offending before or since this one act of immaturity which may be the only act of immaturity he’s ever committed in his life.'

Should have ended that with 'so far'.