Rio Ferdinand: Football fan pleads guilty to online racist abuse of former England international | Football News
A man who racially abused Rio Ferdinand in the aftermath of the Euro 2020 final on Twitter has pleaded guilty to those offences.
Robert Whippe, 54, pleaded guilty to two counts of sending a grossly offensive message to Ferdinand in the wake of England’s penalty shootout defeat to Italy in July 2021.
Whippe posted views on Twitter about the former England and Manchester United defender’s commentary of the final and used emojis of a racist derogatory nature.
Whippe was interviewed by the Police under caution where he admitted to posting two tweets but denied any racial intent and claimed the emojis were randomly selected.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) review of the case and Hertfordshire Police investigation sought to prove the use of these emojis was most commonly connected with racism against Black people.
Matthew Gauntlett of the CPS thanked Ferdinand for his cooperation in the investigation after the “completely unwarranted attack”.
“Whippe committed a racist attack on Rio Ferdinand as he was giving his expert opinion and commentary on the Euro 2020 final,” Gauntlett said.
“It was completely unwarranted and part of a disease in football that the CPS is playing its part to eradicate.
“I would like to thank Rio Ferdinand for his cooperation and support for this prosecution in what must have been a distressing time for him.”
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Rio Ferdinand told a parliament select committee for the Online Safety Bill that an increase in online abuse is having a knock-on effect in stadiums, and more needs to be done to combat it
Work continues between the CPS, the police, clubs, player bodies and organisations, like the Premier League, the EFL, and the FA, to explain how these crimes are prosecuted and what information is needed to pass the charging threshold to build strong cases.
“Hate crime has no place within society let alone sport,” Douglas Mackay of the CPS added. “Recently we have seen an increase of reports in racist abuse online and in stadiums in football matches and we are determined to play our part in cutting this out.
“If you see, read, or hear of any offensive racist and homophobic language, please report it to the police who will investigate. And if our legal tests of sufficient evidence and public interest are met we will seek to serve justice through the prosecution of these horrendous actions.”
Hate won’t win
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The Premier League have released a video to reinforce the message that there is no place for racist abuse and that fans can play a key role in the fight against discrimination.
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Kick It Out is football’s equality and inclusion organisation – working throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change.
