Labour councillor banned from football matches after racist abuse
Written by Will Howells on 4th June 2007 – 4:36 pmCllr David Phythian, a Conservative Labour member of West Lancashire District Council, has been given a three-year football banning order by Wigan and Leigh Magistrates Court. He admitted “using abusive or insulting words … that were racially aggravated” towards former Wigan Athletic defender Pascal Chimbonda.
The Wigan Today website reports:
Wigan and Leigh magistrates banned him from attending all football matches in the UK for three years, fined him £250, and ordered him to pay £60 costs.
Phythian, of Evington, Skelmersdale, is a member of West Lancs District Council’s bulky waste collection task group, the Lancashire care NHS trust consultation group and the West Lancs planning committee.
The leader of the district’s Conservative group Geoff Roberts said he was “saddened” to hear of Phythian’s crime.
“I’m quite surprised really, I suppose it’s more something you expect to hear from the BNP or the far right of my own party.
The full story is here.
UPDATE: Apologies to the Tories for erroneously attributing this councillor to them!
Posted in News, Opposition watch
4th June 2007 at 7:31 pm
If you check the West Lancs DC website http://webdocs.westlancsdc.gov.uk/Coins/member/179.asp
it actually states he is a Labour councillor not Conservative!
4th June 2007 at 8:37 pm
And indeed he is. Oops. My source must have been thrown by the choice of quote in the story!
4th June 2007 at 10:03 pm
I know most people won’t care very much and I could just let it slide, but…
Pas Chimbonda is a Spurs player, not Wigan. Of course he *was* a Wigan player.
Really odd quotes from the Tory leader!
5th June 2007 at 9:06 am
The really strange thing is the quote from the Tory leader. Is he really saying publically that he would expect to hear racist abuse from “the far right of my own party”?
5th June 2007 at 9:17 am
Are you sure you’ve got that Tory leader’s quote right as it isn’t reported like that elsewhere? (and after all you’ve already dropped one clanger in this write up).
5th June 2007 at 9:20 am
The quote comes word-for-word from Wigan Today.
(Thanks, Matt.)
5th June 2007 at 9:25 am
It’s just that the bit about “far right of my party” is dropped in this report. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1008/1008248_councillor_given_football_ban_.html
I don’t see how someone can be banned from football matches for racist abuse and continue to serve as a councillor. If this is the only response of the Tory leader and the district council, it is poor.