Birmingham star Andre Dozzell expresses fury after his team-mate Juninho Bacuna is targeted by racists again, claiming lifetime bans aren’t enough for those fans
- André Dozzell from Birmingham expresses his anger after a racist chant at the Hawthorns
- Juninho Bacuna was targeted for the second time this season in a 1-0 defeat
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Birmingham’s Andre Dozzell has called for tougher punishments for fans who racially abuse players after his teammate Juninho Bacuna was targeted for the second time this season.
Towards the end of the Blues’ match at West Bromwich Albion, Bacuna reported to officials that he had heard a racially charged comment from the Halfords Lane Stand at the Hawthorns.
West Brom said they would give their full support to West Midlands Police who are investigating the incident.
The standard punishment clubs hand out to fans who racially abuse players is a lifetime ban, although such sanctions are difficult to enforce and are rarely imposed across the board, meaning the fans in question can still follow their teams.
“Everyone came together and showed support for Bacca,” Dozzell said. ‘But there is no room for that in the match, so hopefully that will be resolved. I don’t think the penalties are harsh enough, they should be greater.
Birmingham’s Andre Dozzell wants tougher punishments for fans who racially abuse players
Juninho Bacuna reported to officials that he heard a racially charged comment at the Hawthorns
‘It’s a shame that this still happens today. It should be more than a lifetime ban on watching football. It wasn’t fun and this isn’t the first time. We are a close group and we all support him.’
Last October, Bacuna was racially abused by a home fan as Blues defeated Huddersfield at St Andrew’s and chairman Tom Wagner promised a life ban for the individual.
During Sheffield Wednesday’s match against Coventry at Hillsborough in January, Coventry’s Kasey Palmer accused supporters of racist abuse. A man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense and released on bail, South Yorkshire Police said. When the teams met again in the FA Cup, Palmer was booed. They will face each other tomorrow in a repeat of the fourth round in Coventry.
Birmingham later released a statement that Bacuna posted to his Instagram story. It read: ‘The club can confirm that Juninho Bacuna has reported an incident of racism to the referee, David Webb. This will be included in the official’s match report and the club will assist the FA, EFL and authorities accordingly.
“Birmingham City would like to thank the West Brom stewards, safety and executive team who acted immediately and the matter is now with West Midlands Police. The club offers Juninho its full and unwavering support.”
The incident ended a difficult few days for West Brom. Last weekend, their FA Cup home defeat to Wolves was overshadowed by fan violence that saw the match halted for 39 minutes.
Match winner Andi Weimann foolishly decided to excite the Birmingham fans after the whistle
Fortunately there was no replay on Saturday, although match winner Andi Weimann made the foolish decision to excite the Birmingham fans after the final whistle. Weimann used to play for Blues rivals Aston Villa and claimed he was targeted by the traveling fans. But considering what happened a week earlier, it was gross.
He said: ‘Football is an emotional game, so if they give it to me, I deserve to give it back.’