Quitongo loses race discrimination case against Airdrieonians
- Published
Rico Quitongo now plays for Queen of the South
Rico Quitongo is "bitterly disappointed" after losing a race discrimination case against his former club Airdrieonians and a club director.
The 23-year-old claimed he was racially abused by an Airdrie fan during a game with Queen's Park in September 2021.
The club carried out an investigation but it was subsequently dropped due to "insufficient evidence".
The defender said the club failed to investigate properly and claimed he was the victim of racial discrimination.
During the employment tribunal, Airdrieonians denied the allegations and disputed further claims that an element of its support had a history of racism.
Quitongo, who now plays for Queen of the South, said the judgement was "a bitter blow for everyone who has stood up to racism in our national sport".
"This entire episode has been an incredibly distressing, traumatic, and harrowing experience for my family and friends, as well as myself," he said.
"I have been inundated by a groundswell of support from football fans and players alike during this lengthy and arduous legal process.
"I am hugely grateful for this solidarity."
'1980s style racism'
The player claimed racial harassment and victimisation and was backed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the professional footballers' union (PFA) Scotland.
The Scottish Football Association has initiated its own investigation into his allegations of race discrimination.
Quitongo added: "My trade union the PFA Scotland and the EHRC have both shown leadership and courage in supporting my legal claim.
"I will now take time to consider the lengthy judgement in detail, while taking advice from PFA Scotland, the EHRC, and my legal team."
Chief executive of PFA Scotland, Fraser Wishart, warned: "There is a real danger that we're heading back to the bad old days, and any movement in that direction must be stopped in its tracks."
Mr Wishart called for stricter enforcement of existing SFA rules on racism with a prerequisite for instant action.
He added: "It's simply not good enough to have boardroom assurances and platitudes from football clubs that they will sort out this malignant abuse in their own way.
"Any drift towards a return to 1980s style racism in our national game will not be tolerated by the players' union who will challenge this in every possible way, for the good of the game.
"The tribunal has delivered an extremely lengthy judgement that we will now take time to consider, before deciding on an appropriate course of action."
'No place for racism'
A police investigation concluded that racist abuse had taken place during a match between Airdrie and Queens Park in September last year.
The EHRC and the PFA Scotland union jointly funded the racial discrimination case.
Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, said: "There is no place for racism in sport or any other part of society."
She added: "We hope that this is an opportunity for football clubs across Britain to better understand their duty to protect their employees and handle allegations in line with the law.
"Sport has an important role to play in bringing our communities together, promoting understanding and fostering respect for difference."
Airdrieonians have been contacted for comment.
- Published30 March 2022
