Footballer charged over Tweet aged 14

[Square Leg]

Just how far back should they go - this was 9 years ago?

https://twitter.com/MailSport/status/1433877487465...

[the-sharpener]

GOOD

There should be no place for homophobia in football

I'm sure we can expect to see the gay pride flag hanging high at the next world cup

[TriumphStag3.0V8]

9 years ago, aged 14.

Bonkers!

[Square Leg]

the-sharpener said:

GOOD

There should be no place for homophobia in football

I'm sure we can expect to see the gay pride flag hanging high at the next world cup

I absolutely agree - there’s no place for it anywhere never mind football.
But the lad was a child.
For all we know it was a one off.

Just find it quite odd that people are being pulled up for things they’ve said many years ago that possibly have no bearing on how they feel today.

[TriumphStag3.0V8]

the-sharpener said:

GOOD

There should be no place for homophobia in football

I'm sure we can expect to see the gay pride flag hanging high at the next world cup

Absolutely, I am sure that the money they paid, sorry, I mean assurances about inclusivity they made to get the world cup set FIFA's minds at rest.

[anonymous-user]

It shows the internet doesn't forget and it can come back and bite you.

It raises the question, is anyone safe from any comment they have ever made since the day they were born if it got put on the internet?

Does the FA prosecuting this really serve any useful purpose beyond posturing and virtue signalling?

Wonder how many similar prosecutions could be made out of say posts on PH?

[Earthdweller]

Just for clarity he hasn’t been charged with any criminal offence .. this is the Football Association saying he’s responsible for “aggravated misconduct”

Criminal law has limits on charge times and on offences committed as a child, which are in most cases wiped once adulthood is reached

It’s a fine line when the words/deeds of a child is used against an adult half his life time ago

Does the adult share the same views as the boy ?

I don’t think anyone of us could say we are the same person we were aged 14 nor hold the same views/attitudes

Edited by Earthdweller on Sunday 5th September 17:59

[Electro1980]

Let’s be clear. He hasn’t been “charged” with anything, which to most people, with zero context, means police involvement. The FA have found he has breached an FA rule. It’s basically a HR investigation. Also, all they have done is confirmed that he broke the rules, presumably as a youth player. That is all they can do within their remit. An independent commission will take the circumstances in to account, but the FA can’t. This is more Mail “journalism” aimed at generating anger and clicks.

[CoolHands]

the-sharpener said:

GOOD

There should be no place for homophobia in football

I'm sure we can expect to see the gay pride flag hanging high at the next world cup

That was quick. Clockwork cupcake will be along momentarily

[Square Leg]

Electro1980 said:

Let’s be clear. He hasn’t been “charged” with anything, which to most people, with zero context, means police involvement. The FA have found he has breached an FA rule. It’s basically a HR investigation. Also, all they have done is confirmed that he broke the rules, presumably as a youth player. That is all they can do within their remit. An independent commission will take the circumstances in to account, but the FA can’t. This is more Mail “journalism” aimed at generating anger and clicks.

Yes, I should have added ‘by the FA’ for clarity.
My mistake and didn’t mean to mislead.

[johnboy1975]

Square Leg said:

Just how far back should they go - this was 9 years ago?

https://twitter.com/MailSport/status/1433877487465...

Missing the point, but surely he had the common sense to delete anything dodgy? Or an advisor to advise him to do it?

And you'd like to think even a 14 year old would realise the potential downsides of writing something dodgy on twitter (for zero upside - Unless there's a potential upside that I'm missing?)

[hyphen]

If 9 years ago and no repeat,non issue.

[coppernorks]

What did the footballer post ?

Call me Daphne Thighblast but I prefer evidence before I can opt for guilt or innocence

[JagLover]

coppernorks said:

What did the footballer post ?

Call me Daphne Thighblast but I prefer evidence before I can opt for guilt or innocence

Calling for evidence and context before screaming for a hanging, you will never make a good member of a Twitter mob at that rate.

Without more info it is difficult to judge as you say. A lot of teenage lads joshing with each other can include a "homophobic element", in terms of calling each other gay.

[JagLover]

the-sharpener said:

GOOD

There should be no place for homophobia in football

I'm sure we can expect to see the gay pride flag hanging high at the next world cup

Perhaps the footballers will take a brave stand, or kneel, against it at the next world cup . Or is all their political activism risk free posturing.

[Byker28i]

Quite a lot of FA criticism on TalkSport over this

https://talksport.com/football/937777/marc-bola-hi...
https://talksport.com/football/efl/938780/marc-bol...

[andy_s]

A perfectly normal HR/middle management decision.

[A Winner Is You]

For anyone who does support this, I'd like to ask them if they've ever made an online comment that is considered socially unacceptable by today's standards?

[ambuletz]

This seems like a situation where someone brought the tweet to the FA's attention and they're having to do something about it for the sake of stamping out racism/intolerance, rather than being seen to lelt it slide. just doing it to cover their backs.

[anonymous-user]

A Winner Is You said:

For anyone who does support this, I'd like to ask them if they've ever made an online comment that is considered socially unacceptable by today's standards?

Probably about 11,974 of them