A FOOTBALLER who received racial abuse on the pitch felt “unsupported” by his club, an employment tribunal has heard.
Rico Quitongo has taken his former club Airdrieonians FC and one of its directors, Paul Hetherington, to court over alleged racial discrimination.
Quitongo claimed he was racially abused by a fan during a game last year. The club investigated, but stopped after “insufficient evidence”.
An employment tribunal hearing in Glasgow is examining the incident, as Quitongo claims he was a victim of racial harassment and victimisation.
In his witness statement, Quitongo said he was told on the evening of September 11, 2021 about an Airdrie fan racially abusing him at the game that day. He said he felt “upset and disgusted” after hearing about the racist slur, and the following day he reported the incident to the club.
The footballer said: “I was upset and angry. I should not be going to my work and getting racial abuse.”
Quitongo said the club should have issued a statement condemning the racist incident, and that by September 14 he was upset about the incident and the club’s “poor response”, which left him feeling “unsupported”.
Lawyer Andrew Maxwell, representing Airdrie and Hetherton, said the club put out a statement on September 15 confirming investigations into the incident were ongoing and they will not tolerate racism.
Quitongo was placed on two weeks leave of absence, and he alleges he was not selected for five games between September 18 and November 6 because of the ongoing situation.
Quitongo told the tribunal about the “inadequate handling” of the racist incident: “Not only did they not support me, but they turned the guns on me, suggesting that I was bringing the club into disrepute by making false allegations. This made me feel alone and punished, rather than supported, for trying to raise awareness of issues faced by black people daily.
“I love football and being a professional footballer, but for me, being black and standing up to racism is more important than football.”
