Football: Bournemouth hand teenager guilty of racist abuse a lifetime ban

LONDON – Bournemouth have handed a 17-year-old supporter a lifetime ban after he pleaded guilty to chanting racist abuse during a Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November, the south-coast club said on Thursday (Feb 6).

British media reported that the fan, who cannot be named, was banned from attending matches for three years by the Highbury Corner Magistrates' court and ordered to pay a fine of £55 (S$98).

“AFC Bournemouth welcome the court's decision to impose a three-year football banning order on a person present in the visiting section, following an incident at our fixture at Tottenham Hotspur last November,” the club said in a statement.

“This member of the public – who we refuse to acknowledge as a supporter – will also receive a lifetime ban from AFC Bournemouth.”

A Wolverhampton Wanderers season ticket holder has also been banned from attending football matches for four years after he made monkey gestures at Chelsea's Tammy Abraham during a home league game in September, the BBC reported.

The 40-year-old fan, Josef Smith, was found guilty of racially abusive behaviour and sentenced at Dudley Magistrates' Court.