Marcus Bignot has been sacked as a coach of Birmingham City Women after being given a seven-game ban for abusive language.
He was found to have used homophobic language towards Tottenham boss Rehanne Skinner during a Women’s Super League match in February.
Marcus Bignot, who was the assistant manager of Birmingham at the time of the incident on the 13th of February, was charged with misconduct by the Football Association in March, which he denied.
The FA confirmed on Thursday an independent regulatory commission had found the charge to be proven following a two-day hearing in May.
Marcus Bignot has been handed a seven-game touchline ban after he was charged with misconduct relating to a homophobic comment he made during a Women’s Super League game between #BCFC and #THFC.https://t.co/l9jDkDtCRf
— The Athletic UK (@TheAthleticUK) July 7, 2022
In addition to the ban, Bignot has been ordered to attend a face-to-face education course.
The commission found it proven that Bignot had said to Skinner, following an incident in the 17th minute of the match: “Maybe if you had a bit of p**** in you and in your life, then maybe you’d be better for it and at your job.”
The FA’s position was this comment was homophobic as he was aware of Skinner’s sexuality. This was denied by Bignot, who said he was oblivious to her sexuality even though Skinner’s partner was a former Birmingham player.
The commission determined it was “not credible” that Bignot was unaware of Skinner’s sexuality.
The commission heard from a number of witnesses to the incident among the Tottenham staff, who it found “credible, compelling and articulate” and dismissed a claim by Bignot’s legal team that they had colluded to incriminate him.
It decided that “on the balance of probabilities” Bignot had made the comment.
The commission’s written reasons stated: “The regulatory commission are not concerned with the question whether Mr Bignot is homophobic, nor does it make any finding of such.
“He has been found to have made a comment which was obviously homophobic and wholly unacceptable. It is particularly important that homophobic comment, the kind made by Mr Bignot, is punished severely.”
The commission was informed that Bignot had lost his job at Birmingham due to the case, and been suspended from a role as an England U19 coach.
The written reasons for its decisions can be accessed below.
BIRMINGHAM CITY STATEMENT
Birmingham City Women can confirm that Marcus Bignot has left the Football Club.
This follows the outcome of an investigation carried out by The Football Association in relation to a breach of FA Rule E3 following our Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur Women on Sunday 13 February.
Following the suspension of his agreement in March 2022, the Club has now terminated his agreement and will no longer be using his services.
Bignot has been suspended from the touchline for seven matches and ordered to attend a mandatory face-to-face education programme by an independent Regulatory Commission.
An independent Regulatory Commission found the charge to be proven and imposed this sanction during subsequent hearings.
As a Club we strongly condemn any form of homophobic abuse and reiterate our aim to confront and eliminate any form of discrimination.
We thank Marcus for his services during his time at the Club.
The Club will be making no further comment at this time.
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Stonewall has recently released new guidance for the public on what to do if you have experienced a hate crime or incident. YouGov research has shown that one in five lesbian,gay and bisexual people have experienced a homophobic hate crime or incident in the last three years. And three in four of those didn’t report them to the police. Blow the Whistle gives clear, concise information for people who are victims of homophobic hate crime. The guide explains what homophobic hate crime is, why hate crime should be reported and what to say when reporting it. A third of victims don’t report incidents because they don’t think the police would or could do anything about it.
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