Mark Clattenburg Row: Society Of Black Lawyers Want Referee Suspended

Society Of Black Lawyers Want Clattenburg Suspended

The Society of Black Lawyers have called for referee Mark Clattenburg to be suspended from duty while he remains under investigation for racially abusing John Obi Mikel.

Clattenburg is alleged to have called Mikel a 'monkey' during Chelsea's 3-2 Premier League defeat to Manchester United 10 days ago and will not be refereeing for a second successive weekend.

Chelsea last week filed a complaint, containing signed witness statements from players and staff, to the Football Association against the County Durham official. The police are probing the Clattenburg incident after the Society of Black Lawyers contacted them.

The organisation has also called for players guilty of racist abuse to be sacked by their clubs and banned for up to nine months in a 10-point plan to tackle racism in football.

Tottenham Hotspur have also been warned the society will make a complaint to police over anti-Semitic abuse taking place at White Hart Lane. Spurs fans chant 'Yid Army' in a non-derogatory manner.

Clattenburg is under investigation for allegedly racially abusing Mikel

Outlined in the 10-point plan is the following:

  • A minimum six to nine-month ban for racial abuse, rising to a five-year ban for a third offence
  • Any fines going directly to Kick It Out to fund grassroots anti-racism initiatives
  • The creation of representative associations for black players, managers and coaches
  • Guidance for referees to send off players using racist abuse and the power to call off games where the crowd is using such abuse
  • A 20% quota at all levels of the FA, PFA, clubs as well as football agents and referees
  • Racial abuse to be a matter of gross misconduct incorporated into players' contracts
  • Clubs to invest in the personal education of all players, including university or college education
  • Recording referees and assistants during matches to pick up any possible abuse by players.
  • A system for reporting racial incidents to be set up with details of such incidents, both on and off the pitch, published each year

Both Luis Suárez and John Terry have been found guilty of racially insulting players over the past year in English football. Suárez received an eight-match ban and £40,000 fine for abusing Patrice Evra while Terry was suspended for four matches and fined £220,000 for calling Anton Ferdinand a "f****** black c***".

The punishments have been dismissed as a "slap on the wrist" by the society, who added the FA must establish "a clear set of sanctions against racist abuse on the field that reflects the seriousness of the offence".

Regarding Tottenham fans chanting 'Yid', the Society of Black Lawyers' chair Peter Herbert said: "In discussions with members of the Jewish community, we were made aware that this practice is still continuing and it has to come to an end.

"If neither Tottenham FC nor the FA are willing to take a stand then SBL will report the matter to the Metropolitan Police Service for investigation and, if necessary, prosecution. The report will be made if this behaviour does not cease by 20 November. We will have monitors in attendance to observe what occurs."

Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong was earlier this year charged by the FA for calling a Tottenham fan "Yid scum" on Twitter.

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