Post by bobby on Aug 20, 2008 13:38:19 GMT
Stutes boss defends Pope
Histon manager Steve Fallon has stood up in defence of right-back Craig Pope, who quit football this week after receiving a four-game ban for racial abuse.
The 25-year-old defender chose to quit rather then continue and be branded a racist after he was found guilty of 'abusive and/or insulting words aggravated by a racial element' during a Boxing Day clash with rivals Cambridge United.
Pope strongly denied the allegations and challenged the ruling, but when his appeal was thrown out this week, he decided to call it quits.
A devastated Pope told the club's official website: "I believe the charge against me was unfounded and the outcome unjust.
"I cannot continue to play football knowing people will say I said this.
The Stutes boss believes Pope is innocent and that the allegations and outcome are unjustly and will try get Pope to change his decision.
Fallon said: "I won't accept his decision to quit because it's not fair on the lad.
"He's a good player with a good career ahead of him.
"It's not enough to just say 'Oh well, he's been found guilty, let's just take it on the chin and move on.
"Craig will have to live with that for the rest of his career.
"He knows he'll be abused wherever he goes.
"It's something that he doesn't deserve because there just wasn't enough evidence.
"We're absolutely gobsmacked that he was found guilty."
The Histon boss is outraged at the verdict based on the testimony of just one person, Rob Wolleaston, the Cambridge midfielder, who claims to have heard the offending phrase and pushed for action.
Leo Fortune-West, the man Pope is alleged to have abused, didn't want to pursue the charge and several of Cambridge's players testified on Pope's behalf.
The trial was postponed for a few weeks after Wolleaston failed to turn up for the first hearing.
Fallon said: "In the majority of cases it would just have been thrown out then.
"People will say it's a serious accusation so you have to do something about it, but if it's so serious then why didn't they turn up?"
"There were so many witnesses that didn't hear anything, apart from the one man who said he did and he was the furthest away.
He continued: "I'm not for a moment saying that Rob Wolleaston is raking it up. He firmly believes that he heard something, but people who were a lot closer heard nothing and wanted to drop it.
"Danny Brown (the Cambridge midfielder) spoke on behalf of Craig to say that there was no way he would ever have said it and his statement alone should have cleared him.
"The ref said he'd been in these situations before and you know when something's been said.
"But he had no pressure from any players during the game and he had absolutely no inkling. The video evidence also suggested that nothing happened.
"We strongly believe and the player strongly believes that he didn't say anything so I've got to back him.
Fallon stated that the lack of action taken by the FA proves that there was doubt over what was actually said.
He added: "If he admitted it and was guilty beyond all doubt, they wouldn't ban him for four games they would throw the book at him.
"It just seems like a token ban, whereas if he had really done it he would rightly be thrown out for three, six or nine months and Histon as a club would back that totally.
"If he just accepts the four-game ban, people will say he's a racist. But he isn't."
Seems that even Cambridge United players are confused
Histon manager Steve Fallon has stood up in defence of right-back Craig Pope, who quit football this week after receiving a four-game ban for racial abuse.
The 25-year-old defender chose to quit rather then continue and be branded a racist after he was found guilty of 'abusive and/or insulting words aggravated by a racial element' during a Boxing Day clash with rivals Cambridge United.
Pope strongly denied the allegations and challenged the ruling, but when his appeal was thrown out this week, he decided to call it quits.
A devastated Pope told the club's official website: "I believe the charge against me was unfounded and the outcome unjust.
"I cannot continue to play football knowing people will say I said this.
The Stutes boss believes Pope is innocent and that the allegations and outcome are unjustly and will try get Pope to change his decision.
Fallon said: "I won't accept his decision to quit because it's not fair on the lad.
"He's a good player with a good career ahead of him.
"It's not enough to just say 'Oh well, he's been found guilty, let's just take it on the chin and move on.
"Craig will have to live with that for the rest of his career.
"He knows he'll be abused wherever he goes.
"It's something that he doesn't deserve because there just wasn't enough evidence.
"We're absolutely gobsmacked that he was found guilty."
The Histon boss is outraged at the verdict based on the testimony of just one person, Rob Wolleaston, the Cambridge midfielder, who claims to have heard the offending phrase and pushed for action.
Leo Fortune-West, the man Pope is alleged to have abused, didn't want to pursue the charge and several of Cambridge's players testified on Pope's behalf.
The trial was postponed for a few weeks after Wolleaston failed to turn up for the first hearing.
Fallon said: "In the majority of cases it would just have been thrown out then.
"People will say it's a serious accusation so you have to do something about it, but if it's so serious then why didn't they turn up?"
"There were so many witnesses that didn't hear anything, apart from the one man who said he did and he was the furthest away.
He continued: "I'm not for a moment saying that Rob Wolleaston is raking it up. He firmly believes that he heard something, but people who were a lot closer heard nothing and wanted to drop it.
"Danny Brown (the Cambridge midfielder) spoke on behalf of Craig to say that there was no way he would ever have said it and his statement alone should have cleared him.
"The ref said he'd been in these situations before and you know when something's been said.
"But he had no pressure from any players during the game and he had absolutely no inkling. The video evidence also suggested that nothing happened.
"We strongly believe and the player strongly believes that he didn't say anything so I've got to back him.
Fallon stated that the lack of action taken by the FA proves that there was doubt over what was actually said.
He added: "If he admitted it and was guilty beyond all doubt, they wouldn't ban him for four games they would throw the book at him.
"It just seems like a token ban, whereas if he had really done it he would rightly be thrown out for three, six or nine months and Histon as a club would back that totally.
"If he just accepts the four-game ban, people will say he's a racist. But he isn't."
Seems that even Cambridge United players are confused
