Diehard Pompey fan John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood speaks after being banned for a second time for what he did on an away day.
The 59 year old has been punished for publicly relieving himself against a wall before Saturday’s fixture against Forest Green Rovers.
He tells The News Portsmouth how he was refused entry into The New Lawn stadium and failed to get past the stewards in different clothing, so instead decided to watch the League One clash on a hill overlooking the ground.
🤣😂😂 was literally in front of the fans on the hill pic.twitter.com/nn3ALFOavW
— . (@Peacheyyyyy) October 26, 2022
He said he received the two-match ban after indecent behaviour reports were made to the club with the Pompey fan sending an email to CEO Andrew Cullen.
‘By the time we got to the ground, there was a big queue round the corner, and it was taking ages to get in, and you know when you got to go, you got to go,’ John told The News.
‘If I hadn’t, I would have wet myself.
‘It was only when I saw other lads having a pee I thought, “oh god if I don’t, I’m going to wet myself”. especially with the hold-ups getting into the ground.
‘I’m a bit embarrassed about it. You try and do it discreetly, but it is what it is. I hold my hands up. I’m disappointed with myself.’
John, a season ticket holder, accepted the decision and that he had let the club down and was told of his punished by a phone call on Monday.
He was banned from Portsmouth’s 1-1 draw against Oxford United in midweek and will miss Saturday’s home game vs Shrewsbury Town.
‘At the end of the day, I can’t deny what I did. I know football fans have changed. I’m a bit old school. I’m adapting, but there’s a lot of people who have got it out for me at the moment. That doesn’t excuse what I did though. I’m more angry with myself with this ban than the last one.’
Having been denied entry, John tried to get back into the ground wearing his friends’ jeans, hoodie and face mask.
‘I got back to the van, sat there, and thought “why didn’t they let me in but let others in,” he said. ‘I thought “sod it I’ll give it a go”.
‘I accepted that I was thrown out, but part of me thought I was a bit victimised. I wasn’t drunk at all, I’d had a few, but not in a million years.’
He denied being drunk and said he co-operated with police about which pub his group would visit in Nailsworth before the game.
He previously caused a stir blaming ‘cancel culture’ for a previous three-match ban with a video showing him getting his arse out mooning Coventry City fans at a friendly in July.
‘I’m under the microscope at the moment,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a feeling my days at football are numbered somehow, there are a lot of people who don’t like me. I’m definitely walking on eggshells.’
The supporter, who is always seen wearing the big hat, showing off his tattoos, appeared in footage rubbing his trouser covered bum with his fingers in front of the away supporters.
John Westwood is a……. pic.twitter.com/tuOImPwlmM
— Itchen North (@ItchenNorth) July 25, 2022
The News write how Westwood started making rude gestures after being moved by stewards towards the Milton End due to noise complaints from fans – receiving verbal abuse from the travelling support.
“I did those things at the game after extreme provocation,” Mr Westwood told the newspaper. “With my profile, I’m having hundreds of them swearing at me and calling me a paedophile.
“I’m taking all this abuse, so I do some light-hearted banter back by doing a moon. It was done in humour, and my friends who have seen the video thought it was funny.
“It was a kangaroo court,” he went on, “It’s cancel culture. I feel sorry for the club because they’re under pressure to do something because of keyboard warriors and this political correctness-driven world.
“You won’t be able to fart in a ground soon without offend someone.”
Westwood, who also sang “Pompey is a geezer’s club” at the game against Coventry, accepted his ban, but promises to keep singing Portsmouth songs, and “maybe some wokey PC ones” too.
Portsmouth fan and Her Game Too ambassador, Rebecca Elanor, said the clip of Mr Westwood rubbing his bottom was “disgusting” and “made her skin crawl.”
She told The News: “We know when you go to a football game that it’s not the atmosphere of a theatre. Since it’s a pre-season friendly, you’ll have families bringing their kids, maybe for the first time.
“If i went to that game when I was first going to Pompey, as an 11-year-old with my dad, he would not have brought me back.”
Here’s how Twitter users reacted as the diehard Pompey fan speaks after being banned for a second time over what he did on the Forest Green away day…
— Rick Strang (@rickstrang) October 28, 2022
@peteblackman: Ban the din.
@Aaron25650310: Look I’m not Westwood’s biggest fan , but I think people are just trying to do anything they can to ban the guy from something he loves doing supporting this club before some of these people have even been born! He deserves his 2 match ban but bloody hell give the guy a rest!
@Nafie_Wafie: That embarrassing old thug is such a twat
@realmikemorton: He feels victimised?? The amount of times he’s given pompey fans grief?? Behave westwood and grow up.
@davidthomson180: Learn or go John. You are becoming a disgrace. Disgusting behaviour from a man who calls himself Pompeys best fan. You let yourself down and the rest of us get tarnished too.
I admired you once, but , now have lost respect for you.
@BlueArmyAlex: You’d think this would be the final wake up call and that he’d drink more moderately but we know it won’t happen
@joslaps: How many more chances…..? You’d think he’d have learnt after his Coventry ban…..
@Lbailey84: Last chance saloon now.
@soulassassin657: Looks like he’s really been taking the piss this time 😂😂
@AlHall1983: I passed him in the way out of the ground at Forest Green, as he was blaming everyone but himself. He’s not the only the fan that goes to every game but he’s the only one that acts like that.
@peadubya66: ‘I’m a bit old school. I’m adapting, but there’s a lot of people who have got it out for me at the moment.’ Of all the excuses. He’s in denial. He needs help regarding drinking & his behaviour.Most of us like to have a pre match shandy but don’t behave like him.
@sam_manton: Can’t really be defended. Fact of the matter is that if any other fan did the same they’d be banned also. We should all be treated the same. End of.
@pompeyjones: Blokes an idiot.
@DerekLewry: One of the most concerning parts of the story, someone actually loaned him clothes to put on, I hope they were disposed of afterwards
@m8rkymark: Just asking for it I’m afraid. If he’s not learned now at his age he never will.
@bazhay65: Ban him for life!
@wil_pompey: I’m not his biggest fan and believe he needs a semi intervention but pissing against a wall doesn’t make him a bad person – I think a 2 game ban for that is harsh, a 2 game ban for his sexist comments would be more fair
@cu_mick: No excuse for his behaviour at all old enough to know better. he loves this club so much he continuously drags our clubs name down and embarrasses us and himself. get yourself together man. I think I’ve seen him kicked out of more grounds than some have been to
@chrisjames930: John is often shown as the face of Pompey which really pisses me off. But when you talk to him and understand his passion he is a really nice guy. An easy target yes, a human being yes
@FFSChristie:
Ways Westwood can mend his relationship with the rest of the fan base
1/ get some education on misogyny and discrimination organised by the club for him
2/ seek genuine help for his drinking
3/ agree a behaviour contract with the club
4/ have a fucking shower!
@jamesfrowen: All he’s got to do is act like a normal human being. But he can’t even do that
@pompeyauslander: He might not be everyone’s cup of tea but the blokes had a piss outside the ground ffs …..some people need to get a grip, fuck knows how they would react if they saw 30 blokes pissing on the hard shoulder of the motorway 😂😂 fucking snowflakes !!!!
@alanbarmstrong: A ban for pissing on Forest Green? Surely he was just recycling his bodily fluids? Place is a shithole so should be let off.
@PompeyPedro: I’m no fan of the way John PFC carries on but if every bloke (and probably half the women) in Fratton Park got a 2 game ban for anytime they’ve peed in public I reckon you’d have a mostly empty stadium. He’s just reaping what he sowed now, massively under the spotlight
@HadynCozens: Got his cock out in front of kids but the skates are giving it “oh poor John” dirty skate cunts
@FFSChristie: Thought he was showing a bit of maturity with “I hold my hands up, I let the club down” and then he ruined it by blaming other people again “I wasn’t drunk” and “people have got it in for me”. Grow up you clown
@bpay12: Tbf here, I’ve seen home/away fans pissing in public all the time, when I have my boys with me. Don’t batter an eye lid.
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