A Crystal Palace supporter who made a racist gesture at Spurs striker Son Heung-min during a Premier League match has been banned from football for three years.
Croydon’s Robert Garland, 44, made the gesture after the South Korean international was substituted in the last minute of the game against Palace at Selhurst Park last May.
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Kevin Christie, CPS lead sports prosecutor for London North, said: “This case shows that hate crime in football will not be tolerated.
“Garland’s actions were rightly condemned on social media and we call on all fans to continue to report any type of discriminatory behavior against players or fans to the police or managers so that we can prevent such cases. Can be taken to court.”
Garland pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault in August.
He was fined £1,384 and ordered to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work, as well as pay £85 costs.
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The son, now Spurs captain, told police he ‘did nothing to deserve being targeted with this appalling racist and discriminatory behaviour.’
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And now, prosecutors have successfully appealed to have a football banning order added to Garland’s sentence.
The ban means the 44-year-old will be barred from attending matches for three years and will have to surrender his passport during international fixtures.
Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor and CPS lead sports prosecutor Douglas Mackay said: “Racist or any other form of discriminatory behavior has a wide-ranging impact on sport, players and fans.
“Not only will the CPS consider prosecuting anyone making dirty gestures or actions, but we will ask the courts to ban them from the game they say they love.
The ban means the 44-year-old will be barred from attending matches for three years and will have to surrender his passport during international fixtures.
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“Anyone committing an offense this season risks being banned from watching their national team play at Euro 2024, as well as being banned from traveling abroad during that time, which will limit summer holiday plans.”
The NPCC’s head of football policing, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, said: “Racist, discriminatory or hateful behavior of any kind at football matches is completely unacceptable.
“Officers will always aim to take further action, working closely with partners when a criminal offense occurs.
“Banning orders are one of the first penalties that fans can face, and last season we issued the highest number of banning orders in a single year, working closely with the CPS since the 2010/11 season.
“As well as not being able to attend matches in this country, these fans will also be unable to travel to Germany for the Euro 2024 championship.
“We need to collectively make football a safe environment so that the majority of fans want to enjoy the game, and anyone who commits a criminal offense on or off the football field can expect to face the consequences of their actions. Could.
“CPS is to be commended for its determination to pursue a banner order in this case and to ensure that ultimately the court complied with the intent of the law and correctly imposed the three-year ban.”
Official figures show that the CPS, working with the Football Policing Unit, applied for 682 football banning orders in the 2022/23 football season, an increase of 32 per cent compared to the 2021/22 season.
