Scotland’s justice minister has accused Dundee United of using “the old send ‘em to diversity training card” after the club stood by a player caught ‘blacking up’ at a fancy dress party.
Humza Yousaf accused the Terrors of failing to take appropriate action after first-team player Jamie Robson was forced to apologise and attend sensitivity lessons when pictures of the incident emerged online.
The latest row comes nearly early a year after Robson was hauled in for talks with club bosses over footage of him dancing and drinking a green liquid from a pint glass while driving, and some fans have called for the 20-year-old’s contract to be ripped up.
Dundee United’s Jamie Robson is obviously getting into trouble for this bit of fancy dress. Some calling for a sacking – unsure whether its that or just a very sharp education the boy needs. pic.twitter.com/bFoZ9p6dpy
— Richard Wilson (@timomouse) December 9, 2018
Mr Yousaf, who stopped short of saying what action should be taken over Robson’s antics, said he had witnessed “horrid” racism is Scottish and English football recently and officials should “work harder than ever to root it out”.
He added: “Seriously, you don’t need to be sent to training to know not to black up – you just have to engage your brain.”
Mr Yousaf has repeatedly spoken out about racism and Islamophobia in Scotland and recently reported the issue appears to be getting worse.
The Glasgow Pollock MSP said he carries a personal panic alarm after fearing for his life as a result of sustained racist death threats issued against him and his family.
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes and full back Shay Logan, Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson, and Celtic’s Scott Sinclair are among those to speak out about the scourge of racism in Scottish football.
The old ‘send em to diversity training’ card. Seriously, you don’t need to be sent to training to know not to black up – you just have to engage your brain.
Witnessing some horrid racism in Scot/English Football recently – got to work harder than ever to root it out. https://t.co/tXYshq1VjO
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) December 13, 2018
A spokeswoman for the charity Show Racism the Red Card confirmed it has written to sports minister Joe FitzPatrick to request talks on how to tackle the issue.
She said Robson had done something “really really stupid”, adding that it was “super disappointing” the incident had involved a Dundee United player given how much work they have done with the club.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Dundee United said it has “high standards concerning the behaviour and actions of our staff, and on this occasion, Jamie has fallen short of these expected standards”.
The Tannadice outfit added they are “fully committed to promoting equality and valuing diversity”.
The club were approached for comment on Mr Yousaf’s remarks.
