Cambridge United have decided to take action against the fans who booed players taking the knee before kick off against Colchester United.
Fans took angrily to social media to vent their anger at seeing yet more booing from supporters towards footballers before the League Two clash a few weeks back.
It wasn’t just the fans that went straight on Twitter to voice their concerns, with Sky Sports reporter Jeff Stelling also slamming the culprits.
He said “shame on the Cambridge fans for booing the kneeling” as the game was set to kick off, with players making a gesture for the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Not every fan inside Abbey Stadium was booing however, as others tried to do their best, clapping to drown out the boos.
The sour note moved on and Cambridge United soon went into a 2-0 lead, Paul Mullin getting two goals in the second half.
Michael Folivi got Colchester back in the game with around 20 minutes remaining, making it 2-1 from the penalty spot, however the U’s couldn’t get an equaliser.
Colchester owner and chairman Robbie Cowling recently hit back at fans who booed players taking the knee against Grimsby Town.
He demands in a recently published statement that fans are not welcome if they boo players taking the knee at future matches.
A minority of the 1,000 in attendance booed when players took the knee before Saturday’s win against Grimsby Town, taking them to 9th in the League Two table.
Just like at Millwall’s game against Derby County, before the game kicked off, players took the knee in a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, or as football’s governing bodies would prefer to say, the No Room For Racism campaign.
CLUB STATEMENT:
[Cambridge United] The Football Club can confirm it has taken action with respect to a very small number of fans after the Colchester United game in light of their behaviour when players took the knee.
Each case has been looked at separately by a Sub Group of the Board chaired by Shaun Grady with Dave Matthew Jones and Godric Smith with individuals given the opportunity to explain their actions.
Conclusions reached by the Board range from education and support without any ban through to bans to the end of the season with season tickets refunded. Diversity and inclusion will continue to be at the heart of what we stand for as a Football Club and we will be making no further comment about the incident.
– STATEMENT ENDS –
An Exeter City fan was ejected out of the St James Park stadium for booing at players taking the knee last Tuesday night’s fixture.
It took place during the Grecians’ 2-1 defeat at the hands of newcomers Harrogate Town, yet before the game, Exeter had scored 11 goals in their last two home games.
The game had few chances, the Sulphurites went in front after 31 minutes when Brendan Kiernan shushed fans inside the ground after finding himself through on goal and hit the ball past Jonny Maxted to break the goalless deadlock.
Matt Taylor on the booing of taking the knee said: “If there is booing then I hope the club deals with it. We had the incident last week and disappointed with that We were requested to do it and we obliged with it. we can’t affect if someone booed.
“We are a respectable club and I hope our fans would back the message that us players and staff back to. It is really disappointing and not an Exeter City thing to do.
“Both teams spoke about uit before the game and we are fully onboard with it.
“Hopefully when it happens in the future it gets a better reaction than it did this evening.”
EFL clubs reportedly discuss making big changes to taking the knee before matches amid concerns about the gesture and it’s connotations.
Teams have held talks with the league in the last week about scrapping taking the knee before matches to distance themselves political ‘ties’ of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Put forward in discussion were possible alternatives to the pre-match ritual to continue to show their support for the fight against racism such as anti-discrimination banners.
Fans reacted after seeing Cambridge take action against fans who booed players taking the knee…
What a club👏
— Tomcufc (@CufcTom) December 23, 2020
Well done 👍👏
— Colin Peppiatt (@ColinPeppiatt) December 23, 2020
Absolutely ridiculous 😂😂😂😂😂 wait until you hear the boos with full grounds
— Fox (@foxblade98) December 23, 2020
Freedom of speech protects you from government prosecution for your opinion, meanwhile a football club also has the freedom to tell racist twats they’re not welcome anymore
— Seb 🗝🗝🗝 (@Seb_031) December 23, 2020
Can we still boo when you lose ?
— CambsTrueBlue (@camtrublue) December 23, 2020
Maybe they are booing this pic.twitter.com/wfhnTSG2Yl
— Jim (@BigJamoSkrt) December 23, 2020
Hope you go bankrupt, disgrace 👍🐺
— The Real Liquidator (@TheMooresWWFC) December 23, 2020
“Do what we say and align with our political demands or we’ll ban you” – How very communist of you, Cambridge, well done 🤪🤪🤪
— Matt (@ByeByeLai) December 23, 2020
What a disgusting thing to do to your own fans. People have the right to oppose political gestures. Nazism alive and well in the Cambridge United board room.
— John Davies (@JohnDav60304357) December 23, 2020
What a disgusting thing to do to your own fans. People have the right to oppose political gestures. Nazism alive and well in the Cambridge United board room.
— John Davies (@JohnDav60304357) December 23, 2020
Good move. Next time, donate their season ticket refund to a charity. You wouldn’t get your car tax back if you received a driving ban.
— Tom (@Tom55528787) December 23, 2020
That’s why no-one is prosecuted. Their club, their rules. Don’t like it? Exercise your right to stay the fuck away. Simple.
— Balders (@Baldockboro) December 23, 2020
Is it only Football clubs who seem to believe that this ‘taking the knee’ symbolises a support against ALL forms of Racism? It doesn’t and never will, whereas Kick It Out clearly does. If it does as you seem to believe it does then why weren’t you doing it years ago? 🍀
— Armitage Shanks (@89northbrook) December 23, 2020
BLM is not about diversity or inclusion. It is aggressive against whites. The fans have a right to let to voice opinion against anti white actions. 🤡
— heart87 (@Heart8719) December 23, 2020
I wonder if they’ll also issue stadium bans to the braindead players who grovelled round on their knees like dogs in support of the racist, violent BLM terror group? I won’t hold my breath 😏👎🧎♂️🐕 https://t.co/IeaVgdM79z
— UnitedfanManc (@UnitedfanManc) December 23, 2020
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