BURNLEY have emphatically backed club captain Ben Mee after he slammed the idiots who flew a “White Lives Matter” banner before Monday’s loss to Manchester City.
Mee, 30, delivered an impassioned condemnation of the incident after the match, revealing he and his team-mates were “embarrassed” and “ashamed”.
The banner, belittling the Black Lives Matter movement, was flown over Etihad Stadium last nightCredit: PA:Press Association
The Burnley skipper offered a passionate condemnation of the idiotic banner on Sky SportsCredit: Sky
And his club have echoed the same sentiment.
A joint-statement from chairman Mike Garlick and CEO Neil Hart read: “Burnley Football Club is opposed to any form of racism and discrimination of any kind.
“As custodians of the club, we stand firmly behind the statement condemning the message flown over the Etihad Stadium on Monday night and are fully in support of the words of club captain Ben Mee, delivered after the match.
“Black Lives Matter is a movement supported by all players in the Premier League and the league itself.
“While we naturally consider that all lives matter, let us be clear that the Black Lives Matter movement aims to overcome years of racial inequality against the BAME community and promote a greater fairness for all.
“We at Burnley therefore stand firmly behind it and oppose anything that may appear to undermine or challenge such a positive message.”
Burnley chairman Mike Garlick has issued a joint-statement with CEO Neil Hart backing club-captain Ben MeeCredit: PA:Press Association
And they also revealed that the culprits will be banned from Turf Moor for life.
The statement continued: “The club operates a zero-tolerance stance on discrimination of any form at Turf Moor and is increasingly issuing lifetime bans for supporters that incite racism and hatred.
“This punishment will also be meted out to those responsible for Monday’s regrettable incident.”
Jake Hepple, who has previously been pictured with English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson, claimed he was involved in the stunt shortly after the 8pm kick-off – and showed zero remorse.
Hepple, who claims to be responsible, has been pictured with former EDL leader Tommy RobinsonCredit: Facebook
Writing on Facebook, the Lancashire local said: “I’d like to take this time to apologise .. to absolutely f***ing nobody!”
His employer, Paradigm Precision in Burnley, said today: “We are aware of the incident that took place and are currently investigating the conduct of our employee.
“Once we have completed our enquiries, we will release a full statement.”
Burnley’s Ben Mee responds to an offensive banner flown over the Etihad Stadium
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
