A 46-year-old man who was arrested for racially abusing a Hibs player during the Boxing Day Edinburgh derby has been issued with a football banning order after pleading guilty. He also received a fine.
The abuse was directed toward Hibs defender Jordan Obita as he was warming up.
The order was one of a number issued throughout the country over the festive period.
Calum Beattie, the SPFL’s chief operating officer said: “We warmly applaud the robust approach from the police and courts in dealing with this disgraceful behaviour, as well as the swift action taken by our clubs to identify the individuals involved.
The fact that a football banning order was imposed in these cases is entirely appropriate and we welcome the use of this restriction as an effective deterrent to other forms of unacceptable behaviour in stadia.”
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said: “We should all be able to go to a football match and enjoy the game without fear of violence or disorder.
“We will use all available tools at our disposal to eradicate this unacceptable behaviour.
Football banning orders can be instrumental in helping us keep fans, players and our communities safe.
We will continue to work with the clubs and courts to tackle criminality.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
