Racist Remarks Lead to 2-Year Suspension for Three Football Players

The Orange Walk Football Association (OWFA), in a historic move, has suspended three players for two years for making racist comments. The unprecedented sanction follows a game on May 4 between Yo Creek United FC and Mi Gente FC. Seventeen-year-old Mark Bainton, a player on Mi Gente FC, had been having a stellar game, scoring two goals in less than 20 minutes, when he said that players from Yo Creek started hurling racial slurs at him. Bainton says he raised the issue with the referee, however, the ref did not address the matter at the time, noting that he did not hear the comments. Bainton says that the players continued to disparage him to the point where he no longer felt comfortable playing the game. The matter was then reported to the match commissioner, who suspended the game at the eighty-second minute. Ladrick Shepherd, Chairman of the OWFA, says that the disciplinary committee issued the suspension to send a strong message that such conduct has no place in football.

The management of Yo Creek United FC has since issued a statement, refuting the allegations against the players and said that the sanction against its players tarnishes the club’s reputation without clear proof.