Court bans four men for Campbell chants

Published on Tuesday 20 January 2009 22:17

FOUR men were fined and banned from attending football matches for three years after admitting taking part in "disgusting and embarrassing" chanting at a football match.

A total of 11 men, including three juveniles, appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court yesterday in connection with alleged racist and homophobic chanting.

The charges relate to chants made at Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell during a match against Tottenham Hotspur at Fratton Park, Portsmouth, on 28 September last year.

The court was told that the chants relate to bitterness by Tottenham fans at Campbell for leaving for arch-rivals Arsenal before he then moved to Portsmouth.

Richard Gibbs, 36, of Ormonde Road, Wokingham, Berkshire, Stuart Turner, 34, of Queen Street, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire, Oliver Silvester, 28, of High Street, Southampton, and Keith Stevens, 54, of Portland Close, Hailsham, East Sussex, all pleaded guilty to indecent chanting – an offence under the Football Offences Act 1991.

They were sentenced to a three-year football banning order, fined 370, ordered to pay 120 costs and to pay 15 to a victim surcharge fund.

Magistrate Susan Waddle said: "There were families present, very young children. We also heard from witnesses who found the behaviour disgusting and embarrassing.

"No doubt you are upright members of society, but in there you acted like animals, like a herd.

"This was well-rehearsed – everyone was in sync, everyone knew the words – it was not something that just happened on the day.

"Whether or not Mr Campbell was offended, decent members of the public found this very offensive and so did the bench."