Details of an explosive meeting where Rochdale AFC board members were accused of being like 'nancy boys' have emerged.
The Football Association has now made public detailed evidence from the disciplinary hearing which found that the man fronting a takeover bid of Rochdale AFC did made the homophobic comments. As a result, Andrew Curran was banned from the ground and football-related activities for 63 days and ordered to complete a face-to-face education programme.
The discriminatory remark was made by Mr Curran at a Zoom meeting with board members and the English Football League (EFL), on July 27, last year. Mr Curran and Darryl Rose were acting as representatives of Morton House MGT and First Form Construction Ltd who were attempting to take control of the club. The bid eventually failed.
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Proceedings of an FA Disciplinary Regulatory Commission hearing, which took place on January 10, have now been released by the FA. They detail accounts of four witnesses who were present at the meeting corroborating the allegation that Mr Curran used the term 'nancy boys', although the precise wording used varies.
In evidence, an unnamed senior representative of the EFL said: "Throughout the meeting, there was a lot of tension between representatives from Rochdale AFC and Andrew Curran and Darryl Rose. From the start, we had to make clear to AC that the EFL was not going to act as a referee in their dispute and reminded him of the purpose of the meeting.
"The meeting was extremely difficult throughout with Andrew Curran saying words to the effect of 'we own 43 per cent, regardless of what you do. If they want to be a load of nancy boys stabbing us in the back that’s up to them'.
"Following the meeting, I discussed the discriminatory language used with my colleague and we both agreed that we had an obligation to report the discrimination to the FA."
The FA's integrity investigator James Greenaway said that Mr Curran and Mr Rose were representatives of Morton House, which had recently acquired a majority shareholding of Rochdale AFC without the knowledge of the club's board.
"Having acquired the shares, they became aware that they were required to pass the EFL's Owners and Directors Test (OADT) and subsequently submitted the OADT declaration forms to the EFL. On August 2, 2021, I received two complaints, from a representative of the EFL and George Delves (chief operating officer at Rochdale AFC) in relation to discriminatory comments allegedly made by Mr Curran."
Mr Greenaway said: "As of Tuesday, October 19, 2021, Mr Curran had failed to respond to any of the three requests to be interviewed in relation to this matter."
In his evidence, Mr Delves said: "During the meeting, Mr Curran spoke in a confrontational manner and responded to several questions defensively. He seemed angry when he spoke, particularly when questioned [as to] why he had not complied with the procedure and completed the OADT before acquiring shares in the club."
"Approximately one hour and 45 minutes into the meeting, Mr Curran stated he would be happy to sit around a table to discuss the matter, rather than 'run his mouth off to the fans like a bunch of nancy boys'.
The current chairman of the club Simon Gauge, who was also at the meeting, said: "The meeting was heated throughout and Mr Curran had a bombastic style. He repeatedly swore throughout his answers.
"At one point, when questioned by the EFL as to why he had invested large sums of money in shares prior to completing the OADT, Mr Curran ranted and requested the EFL loan Rochdale AFC the money in order to repay him for the cost of the shares. Mr Curran was told that the EFL had not done anything to encourage AC to spend a million pounds.
"Reacting to this, Mr Curran said words to the effect of 'if they want to sit around a table, instead of like a load of nancy boys back-stabbing on fans' forums, writing this about my son and daughter, then we’ll go and shake their hands and still put the money in the club'. Everyone was in shock when he said the term ‘nancy boys’ and the meeting continued for a further five minutes before concluding."
The three-man regulatory commission found unanimously that Mr Curran had used the term 'nancy boys' and had breached two of the FA's rules relating to improper conduct - including foul and abusive language - and comments aggravated by a person's ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality, faith, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation or disability.
Mr Curran was suspended from football and all football-related activities and banned from the Rochdale AFC ground for 63 days and ordered to complete a face-to-face education programme. He has until April 11 to complete embark on the course. The ban will remain in force if the course is not completed.
The Manchester Evening News has contacted Mr Curran for comment.
