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Dear Barry,
I'm writing to you on behalf of CISA to express our concern at the events at Ewood Park on Sunday, and to related official comment on the Club's website today.
I have to say that I, and many others I have spoken to, felt ashamed to be a Burnley fan on Sunday. The persistent racist chanting aimed at the Blackburn fans before and during the game was a disgrace, as was the abuse directed at the memory of Jack Walker.
I would have hoped that the Club would have taken a stand on this, but no. It would appear that as long as there are no violent scenes on tv then everything must be fine. The Club breathes a huge sigh of relief and praises the fans for their "exemplary behaviour" in what was a "family atmosphere." I fail to see how condoning the chant "You're just a town full of Pakis" can have a place within any decent family.
Of course, the usual apology for this sort of behaviour is that it is only a small minority taking part. This was no minority. At least half the fans were joining in, including children who inevitably were imitating their older "role-models." Is this the sort of behaviour Burnley Football Club wishes to praise?
CISA was delighted to hear of the recent appointment of Nourrendine Maamria as the Club's first Ethnic Minority Development Officer. This is a positive move in an attempt to address the question as to why a significant proportion of the local population feels excluded from attending matches at Turf Moor. On the evidence of the last couple of days Mr Maamria clearly faces a mountainous task.
We praised the Club in January when it was announced that Burnley Football Club was launching a joint initiative with the police to rid Turf Moor of violent and racist behaviour. The slogan "Let's Kick Racism Out of Football" is on display at the ground and in the official programme. The claim is made that "Burnley Football Club will not tolerate racism in the form of obscene language, racial abuse and racist chanting." Does Burnley Football Club really mean this, or are they just hollow words?
I cannot believe that the Directors and the Chief Executive were unaware of what was happening on Sunday. That they have seemingly chosen to ignore it is deeply disappointing.
CISA, and I'm sure all other supporters' groups, would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with you.
Best wishes,
Peter Heywood (Chairman CISA)
