The Scottish Youth Football Association is investigating alleged racist and sectarian incidents at local Sunday League games, the association’s national president has confirmed.
Dundee & District Youth Football Association was caught up in controversy last season when a parent supporting one of the teams in a league decider was reported for shouting “kill them” as emotions boiled over.
The current season has started off even worse, with a game involving the Kirrie Boys and Dryburgh Boys already being considered by the SYFA general purposes committee after it was claimed racist abuse was shouted from the sidelines at one of the players.
SYFA national president David Little said he would also be looking into reports that sectarian abuse was hurled at players in a game between the Celtic Boys’ Club from Dundee and Forfar Boys.
A long-term supporter of boys’ Sunday league football, Andy Walker, said the only way to deal with this behaviour was to expose it.
“If I was sitting at Tannadice, for example, and said some of those things I would be thrown out of the ground, lose my season ticket and probably end up being charged.
“The danger is that if we don’t tackle this now, it becomes a lost cause. Young adults hear this and think it is acceptable.”
He also criticised the Dundee association for the way it deal swith such incidents, holding committee meetings “behind closed doors” as if it wanted to “hush it up.”
He said, “Whatever happened (in committee) nobody seems to know.”
Mr Little said, “This is completely alien to the SYFA. This type of behaviour is unacceptable.”
In relation to the racist claims, he said, “This has been reported to us here at Hampden and is on the waiting list for the next general purposes committee meeting.”
Mr Little had not yet received a report on the sectarian name-calling but promised he would look into it. He also rejected any criticism of the Dundee association, saying he took “great exception” to any suggestion it is not tackling the problems.
“I think that Fiona Thomson (Dundee & District secretary) did a great job last season and if someone is making that statement, then they are making mischief.
“The Dundee Association have progressed dramatically over the past few years and I personally have every confidence in the committee. Last season they dealt with every complaint put before them. In fact some clubs felt they were over-zealous in taking up every single incident.”
Mr Little added, “If anyone wishes to debate the issue, I would be happy for them to call me here at Hampden and I will be happy to defend the record of the league and the progress they are making.”
The Scottish Football Association is behind a national campaign to rid football of racism through the Show Racism The Red Card initiative.