Plymouth Argyle promise to be tough on racists

PLYMOUTH Argyle will slam the Home Park gates on fans found guilty of using racist language.

The Pilgrims are reacting swiftly to emphasise their stance on discrimination in the wake of Saturday's anti-Gypsy chanting during the home game with visiting Southend United.

One person was arrested in the League Two fixture for alleged racial abuse following complaints from concerned and sickened Argyle fans.

But there was also sporadic mass anti-Traveller chanting, believed to be directed at the Shrimpers' French-Tunisian defender Bilel Mohsni.

Southend have already had one high-profile Romany Gypsy on their books – Freddy Eastwood, while Essex has, through docu-dramas on TV, attracted a reputation for Traveller groups.

The game was always set to be a 'spicy affair' as former Argyle manager and now Southend boss Paul Sturrock had predicted to Herald Sport beforehand.

But Sturrock's feelings rested on it being his first return to Home Park since Argyle's second, successive relegation, and his side's and struggling Pilgrims' need for points.

The match ended at 2-2 after a spirited fight-back from Argyle who scored twice in the last five minutes through strikers Nicky Chadwick and Alex MacDonald.

Argyle are at home again next Tuesday (February 13) when Barnet will be the visitors and the host club are likely to give supporters a reasonably gentle reminder that discrimination of any kind is not welcome and nor will it be tolerated.

The proscribed forms of discrimination say the Pilgrims, include anti-homophobic, sexist as well as racial chants.

And in a thinly-veiled warning the club say they will exclude any perpertrators found guilty of banned behaviour.

The 'unequivocal message' read a club statement, 'embraced by everyone at Argyle and connected with the club' is that 'racism has no place in football, no place at Home Park' and 'no place in Plymouth'.

A spokesman for the Pilgrims told Herald Sport the statement was intended to be a useful reminder to fans that Plymouth Argyle are 'proud to be a family club' and, as such, will 'operate a zero tolerance policy on 'unacceptable discrimination'.

"As a club," the statement read, "We (Argyle) have always embraced players and supporters of many nationalities and creeds – this is our heritage and our legacy.

"Prejudice and hatred simply do not mix with supporting our team. "We have excluded people for racist behaviour previously and will have no hesitation in taking this action again."

A 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of racially-aggravated harassment and later bailed until March 8.

ARGYLE reserves claimed a 2-0 victory over host club Cardiff City yesterday.