Anti-racism campaigners have criticised the Football Association (FA) over its reaction after former Newcastle United player Peter Beardsley was found to have been racially abusive to players he was coaching.

Beardsley, who was working as the club’s Under-23 coach, was suspended from all football-related activity for 32 weeks after the FA’s Independent Regulatory Commission found him guilty of the charge.

He has now been suspended from all football and football-related activity until April 2020.

An FA statement read: “We regret the outcome that we have felt compelled to reach in this case. Beardsley is a towering figure in football and his footballing reputation is beyond question. But on three occasions which are the subject of the charges he made remarks which were obviously racist and were wholly unacceptable. Even if he did not intend to do so, he plainly did cause offence.

It is particularly important at a time when racism in football is prevalent that remarks of the kind made by Mr Beardsley are punished severely.”

CRITICISED

However anti-racism campaigners have strongly criticised the FA’s statement.

Referring to the part of the FA statement which described Beardsley as a “towering figure in football”  Kick It Out, which campaigns to challenge racism in football said in a statement: “Beardsley’s career in football has no relevance to this case – calling black players monkeys, comparing black players to apes and questioning their true age are all horrific racial stereotypes and regardless of their reputation. Punishment and education is the only way to deal with these matters.”

Kick It Out continued: “Now Beardsley has been found guilty, we once again reiterate our call that Newcastle United should publish the result of their own investigation, and clarify whether he was sacked for racist abuse.  This inaction dilutes the club’s message and brand of #UnitedAsOne.”

COMPLAINT

A formal complaint was made about Beardsley by midfielder Yasin Ben El-Mhanni, who has since left the club, in January last year.

El-Mhanni, now 23, was released by Newcastle during May 2018 after making two senior appearances, both in the FA Cup, and is now on the books at League One side Scunthorpe.

The regulatory commission’s written reasons for its decision reveal they accepted allegations made by four unnamed players that he had told black players of African origin that ‘You should be used to that’ during a team-building exercise at Go Ape, suggested 18-year-old players were older than they claimed and called another a monkey.

SUPPORT

“We offer our full support to the players who were the target of this horrendous abuse and hope they are now able to have some closure on what must have been a deeply stressful, traumatic period in their short careers to date.

 “No one should fear victimisation within the work environment and we will continue to provide the appropriate support to anyone that has suffered or may be going through similar treatment.”

At a public speaking event in Gateshead during March Beardsley

he had denied the allegations. “I’m not a bully, and I’m not a racist,”

In a statement released on his behalf by his solicitors, Beardsley spoke of his disappointment at the decision, but vowed to return to football.

It said: “Peter Beardsley is very surprised and disappointed by the decision of the Regulatory Commission.

“It was almost impossible for Peter to clear his name because of the serious flaws and contamination of evidence that occurred in the disciplinary process before Newcastle United and by the unusual fact that The FA Rules put the burden of proof on him to prove his innocence in the proceedings.

“After a long process which has been unnecessarily protracted, Peter feels vindicated that the Commission has expressly found that he is not a racist.