THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION have slammed some of the behaviour by Burnley fans towards Brighton star Gaetan Bong as “unacceptable”.
The Seagulls defender complained earlier this season that he had been racially abused by former Turf Moor striker Jay Rodriguez.
Now West Brom man Rodriguez was cleared of any wrongdoing earlier this month by the governing body.
And his old supporters showed their support for him by booing Bong’s every touch during Saturday’s Premier League goalless draw between Burnley and Brighton at Turf Moor.
But the FA have released a statement condemning the jeering this afternoon.
It read: “The FA considers the behaviour of some supporters on Saturday towards Gaetan Bong to be unacceptable.
“It needs repeating, following the recent disciplinary matter, that there was no suggestion by any party involved in that case that the player made a malicious or fabricated complaint.
“The FA was wholly satisfied that the complaint was made in absolute good faith.
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“The FA takes all allegations of discrimination extremely seriously and continues to encourage all participants who believe that they have been the subject of or witness to discriminatory abuse to report this through the appropriate channels.”
Kick It Out have also expressed their “concerns” over the events earlier today.
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The anti-racism campaigners said: “Kick It Out is concerned at reports that Gaetan Bong was booed on Saturday for raising an alleged incident of racism with The Football Association.
“Kick It Out believes all allegations of discrimination must follow a fair and transparent process for all parties involved and the organisation accepts the ‘not proven’ ruling made by The FA, due to insufficient evidence.
“However, it it is important to acknowledge that an allegation found ‘not proven’ does not mean that the complainant has lied or acted in bad faith.
“Kick It Out fully supports the decision by Gaetan Bong to report the alleged incident and encourages any player who believes they have been the target of discriminatory abuse to do the same.”
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