Premier League champions Manchester City have handed a lifetime ban to a 42-year-old man following an incident at the Manchester derby in 2019. The incident occurred at the Etihad Stadium in December 2019. Mr Anthony Burke, a Manchester City fan was found guilty at Tameside Magistrates’ Court on Thursday of making racist gestures towards Manchester United players.
Manchester City Fan Given Lifetime Ban by Club
Court and Club Hand Fan Ban
Following being found guilty, Mr Burke was handed a three-year football banning order which prevents him from attending any games within the United Kingdom. He is also banned from any City in which England are playing and also within a mile of any ground where Manchester City are playing.
He was also given a £500 fine and was ordered to pay a £50 victim surcharge and £300 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Following the verdict, Manchester City have reportedly gone a step further. Sky Sports News have reported that the club has banned Mr Burke for life. The incident happened during City’s 2-1 home defeat to rivals United on December 7 2019 when United stars Fred, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial were targets of racial abuse.
Police Statement
On Thursday, Detective Constable Susan Muldowney of Greater Manchester Police said: “The Manchester derby is a fixture that usually shows the best of Manchester but that night Anthony Burke appalled the city and the wider football community.
“No member of society should face such abuse wherever they are, especially when at their place of work – and this applies for anyone, whether they are a professional sports player or otherwise.
“With fans hopefully continuing to return to stadiums in the coming weeks and months, this conviction is a reminder to anyone who thinks of engaging in such intolerable abuse that we will work robustly to prosecute perpetrators of hate crime and bring them to some justice.”
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
