James McClean: Blackpool fined £35,000 for fan abuse aimed at Wigan winger

James McClean has spoken about the impact of abuse he has received

Blackpool have been fined £35,000 after Wigan's James McClean was subjected to sectarian abuse during the Championship match between the two clubs in April.

The Football Association charged Blackpool with failing to ensure their fans behaved in an orderly fashion during the game at Bloomfield Road.

The club accepted the charge and an independent regulatory commission imposed the fine.

Both the Tangerines and Latics were relegated to League One last season.

In a statement, Blackpool said: "The club has a zero-tolerance policy towards discriminatory abuse of all kinds and fully condemns the conduct of any supporters who subject others to any form of abuse.

"Those responsible may be committing a criminal offence and moving forward will, if identified, be ejected and banned.

"As a result of the incident which took place in the early stages of this particular fixture, the club has been found guilty of misconduct under FA rules.

"As well as a £35,000 fine, an action plan has now been imposed to deter a recurrence of any further misconduct.

"Should an incident such as this happen again, further implications could be imposed such as increased financial sanctions or the possibility of fixtures taking place behind closed doors.

"Blackpool Football Club will treat this matter with the utmost severity and intends to develop existing initiatives to become a more inclusive and proactive club, both at home and away fixtures."

Republic of Ireland international McClean, 34, has been targeted by opposing fans since 2012, when he first declined to have a poppy embroidered on his Sunderland shirt out of support for his home city of Derry, the scene of the Bloody Sunday shootings in 1972.

Thirteen people were killed when British soldiers shot civilian protestors in the city. A 14th person died later.

McClean has also previously said he is upset about the impact the abuse has on his wife and three young children, who watch his matches either on television or in the stands.

In 2020, McClean was fined two weeks' wages by another of his former clubs, Stoke City, for an inappropriate Instagram post in which he was pictured wearing a balaclava in front of two children, with the caption "Today's school lesson - History" along with a laughing emoji.

He later apologised and agreed to delete his Instagram account.

McClean has been critical of the FA and English Football League for a lack of action over the sectarian abuse aimed at him.