Madrid, November 8 (European Press) –
The Crystal Palace fan who made a discriminatory gesture and used racist insults against Korean striker Heung-Min Son in a match against Tottenham last May will not be able to enter any stadium for the next three years, according to a club statement. Airing this Wednesday.
“The club can confirm that a visiting fan who was found guilty of making a discriminatory gesture towards Heung-Min Son during our Premier League match against Crystal Palace in May has been given a three-year suspension order following an appeal of the original ruling,” Tottenham said in a statement.
That Palace fan is Robert Garland, 44, who was initially sentenced in August to 60 hours of community labor and fined €1,590 after pleading guilty to a racially aggravated public order offense for shouting and making gestures at the South Korean in the Premier League. The match was played in May at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, the club expressed “concern” at the “lenience” of the initial penalty and therefore referred it to the Metropolitan Police and the UK Football Oversight Unit. Subsequently, the club and the police requested an appeal against the ruling, prompting the court to issue an order against the fan stopping all football-related activities for three years.
The Tottenham statement concluded: “We thank the police for their cooperation in this matter. We would like to reiterate that the club does not tolerate discrimination of any kind and will always seek to take the strongest possible measures against those responsible.”
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