Non league manager and player gets long ban over testicle grab and offensive remarks

A non league manager and an opposition player each gets long game and stadium ban over a testicle grab and offensive remarks incident.

Longridge Town’s Connor Jackson has been charged following a North West Counties League encounter which saw Northwich Victoria lose 5-0 last month.

Although Jackson denies that he was breaching FA Rule E3 – Improper Conduct – as stated in the FA Disciplinary Commission’s Decision and Reasons on the incident – the punishment still remains.

 

Meanwhile, Northwich Victoria boss Stephen Wilkes has also received a seven-game ground ban after he admitted to calling the player, Jackson, a ‘gay c***’ and a ‘queer c***’.

He has already served the first two games of his ban this week, with Steve Pickup, the club’s assistant, placed in temporary charge for the midweek win at Wythenshawe Town and last Saturday’s away victory against Irlam.

Wilkes will also miss the Vics’ final game of the current campaign against Barnoldswick Town this Saturday and the first four matches of their 2022-23 season.

The alleged offensive language came after Northwich’s bench accused striker Jackson of grabbing players Matthew Clarke and Christian Mather between the legs and “squeezing their testicles”.

Jackson claims that he was “genuinely shocked and upset”at  what he was called while Wilkes insists it was “in jest”, that his comments were not malicious, that he does not have a “homophobic bone” in his body and he “100 per cent regrets” saying it. 

He admitted to two improper conduct charges, and must also pay a £75 fine and made the be part of an online education programme.

Northwich Victoria have turned down Wilkes’ offer to resign with club chairman Brian Turner saying: “The issue of Mr Wilkes was dealt with by the FA Disciplinary Panel, which the club accepts.

“Therefore, the club has no further comment to make.”

The Sun reports that both Longridge Town and the Lancashire FA were approached for a comment. Lancashire Police state they had no record of any criminal complaint from the game being reported.

THE FA URGES FANS TO REPORT DISCRIMINATION

To ensure our National Game is For All, we all have a responsibility to step up and blow the whistle on discrimination. 

Discrimination of any kind has no place in football. That’s the same whether on the pitch or on the sidelines, at the training ground or in the stands. If you tell us about something, we will act promptly and respond appropriately.

Depending on the setting where discrimination occurs, there are different ways to report it.

At the foot of this page, you’ll see links to these different settings:

• Wembley Stadium connected by EE and St. George’s Park
• The Professional Game
• The Grassroots Game
• Social Media

But there’s one common denominator. If you’ve seen or heard abuse, we want to hear about it. That way we can tackle it swiftly to not only change our game for the better, but also lead the pace of change outside football.  We understand that may well lead to an increase in the number of cases we investigate, but it is diligence in reporting that helps us to take steps forward.

As a general guide, if you’ve been the victim of or witnessed an incident of discrimination in the grassroots game, disability game, women’s pyramid and The National League System, you can report it to:

• Kick It Out through their online reporting form or via their reporting app available on both iOS and Android. Alternatively, email Kick It Out at report@kickitout.org

But please refer to specific ways of reporting on the linked pages below.

You can read about our wider anti-discrimination strategy – A Game For ALL – here, or download it from ‘Useful resources’ at the foot of this page. Also downloadable are documents forming our charging policy and sanctioning framework around discrimination.

TYPES OF DISCRIMINATION

Discriminatory abuse can be a negative reference to any one or more of the following ‘protected characteristics’, which forms part of The FA E3.2 ruling:• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Race
• Ethnic origin
• Colour 
• Nationality
• Religion and belief
• Sex (gender)
• Sexual orientation

We may also take action under Rule E4 if you are the subject of an act of victimisation and/or discrimination as defined in the Equality Act 2010.