An Garda Síochána has been contacted regarding an alleged homophobic incident that occurred at a recent EVOKE.ie Women’s FAI Cup match. The quarter-final tie between rivals Shelbourne FC and Peamount United took place in Tolka Park on August 6, with the former side emerging victorious by a score of 3-2.
In a statement released on Monday, August 29, Shelbourne confirmed that at the game, “an individual was heard to have directed misogynistic abuse at an opposition player, including the use of a homophobic term.” The club added that once the incident was reported, they “immediately contacted Peamount United” to apologise to the player.
Shelbourne has since added additional security to its home stadium, specifically briefed to identify anyone engaging in discriminatory abuse and remove them from the grounds. Officials have reported the recent incident to Gardaí and are trying to identify the suspected individual responsible from CCTV footage.
“The Club will not tolerate any discriminatory verbal abuse in Tolka Park and any individual that we can identify will receive a lifetime ban from the ground. There is no place for this kind of abuse in football – on or off the pitch and we wish to apologize again to the player,” the statement reads.
“Shelbourne FC is an inclusive club and we know that our supporters share our desire to ensure that everybody can enjoy the game without being subject to discriminatory abuse of any kind.”
Peamount United responded to its rival’s statement on Twitter, saying: “There is absolutely no place for this abuse as we look to ensure that football is an inclusive game for everyone and we welcome a full investigation into this incident”.
Shelbourne club statement regarding discriminatory abuse directed at our player. There is absolutely no place for this abuse as we look to ensure that football is an inclusive game for everyone and we welcome a full investigation into this incident. https://t.co/qPaCCsgjEd
— Peamount Utd FC (@peamountutdfc) August 30, 2022
Despite this recent incident at the Women’s FAI Cup quarter-final, Shelbourne remains one of Ireland’s top clubs that has been actively working to create a more welcoming environment for its LGBTQ+ players, staff, volunteers and fans.
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