Birmingham City midfielder reports racist abuse from family stands during Huddersfield game
Birmingham City is 'working with police' after their midfielder Juninho Bacuna was allegedly subjected to racist abuse during his team's game against Huddersfield.
The alleged abuse happened in the second half of the Championship game against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday 3 October, which Blues won 4-1.
Birmingham City said Bacuna reported it to the referee mid-game - the match was paused whilst the referee, Sam Allison, spoke to both sides' managers.
The racial slur apparently came from the Arthur's Area - the family area of Birmingham City's own St Andrew's stadium.
Huddersfield player Tom Edwards also confirmed that he heard a racial slur directed at Bacuna.
Birmingham manager John Eustace said after the game: "It’s not something that we expect in society, let alone football.
"Birmingham is very proud of how diverse we are as a club and a city and there is certainly nowhere near any room for that at all.
"It’s very disappointing. They have reported it, it’s bang out of order."
In a statement, Birmingham City owner Tom Wagner said: "Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to Juninho and Tom for promptly bringing this matter to the attention of the officials. It takes courage to speak up against such unacceptable behaviour.
"At the same time, I want to make it clear that we condemn any individual who believes that making racially motivated comments is acceptable.
"Such actions have no place in football or in society as a whole."
Mr Wagner said that the team is "fully committed to working with the West Midlands Police to ensure that the necessary actions are taken and that the individual responsible is brought to justice."
He added that the the side will "enforce a lifetime ban on this individual, preventing them from attending any future games."
The team's owner continued; "Birmingham City Football Club has a strong stance against all forms of discrimination. We have a zero-tolerance policy in place, and anyone engaging in such behaviour will not be welcome at St. Andrew's.
"We will not allow the actions of a single individual to tarnish the reputation of our great club. Birmingham City Football Club reflects the diversity and pride of the city it represents, and we stand united against discrimination, ready to support one another when needed."
In a statement, West Midlands Police told ITV News Central: "We’re working with Birmingham City Football Club after one of their players was racially abused during last night’s match against Huddersfield Town."
Police say they're "looking at CCTV to identify the offender" and are asking for anyone with information to get in touch.The statement continued; "We do not tolerate racist abuse in any form either in football or society in general, and we will seek to prosecute anyone who commits hate crime."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...