What's new

Spurs fan banned from matches for four years for banana throw

Status
Not open for further replies.

Thewobbler

Well-Known Member
Oct 29, 2016
3,814
5,701
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/cri...ang-fined-500-after-magistrates-a4020606.html

A Tottenham fan who threw a banana skin at Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the North London derby has been fined £500 after magistrates ruled it was a targeted racist incident.
Van driver Averof Panteli, 57, claims he picked up the peel in anger from the floor and threw it after the Gabon-born striker had opened the scoring.

He was caught on CCTV holding the banana skin and ejected from the Emirates Stadium, but told police afterwards he had not meant to racially abuse the player.

But Mervyn Mandell, sitting Highbury Corner magistrates court this morning, rejected Panteli's claim that it was not a racist incident.

"It was a deliberate action and we find it was a targeted gesture to throw a banana skin after a goal was scored by a black player", he said.
 

TottenhamMattSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
10,925
16,007
Intentionally racist or not, don't throw things at players ever.

Yeah it was a bad move.
I am somewhat inclined to believe, with a name like Averof, he didn't do it out of racism though.
You really couldn't do worse than throw a banana at a black player though whether it was purely what he had in his hand at the time or not.

I think more than anything, there is currently too much excessive hatred in football. It's one thing being a rival with another team, but people actually look sickeningly angry a lot of the time these days over trivial things.
If some one does something dangerous on the road when I'm driving, I'm gonna get very angry. They put me, my family and my car in harms way, that's not on.

If some geezer in red scores a goal against the team I like, because that's what his job is, I'm just gonna be a bit sulky. I'm not going to throw objects at him, screw my face up and launch a verbal/physical tirade at him.
 

Archibald&Crooks

Aegina Expat
Admin
Feb 1, 2005
55,523
204,656
The original thread is locked but here, again, is the OP from that thread so you can all give it large all over again :D

I am not here to condone or justify what happened , but just relay the truth of what happened.
The guy who threw the banana skin is someone i know of but my best pal was there.
He is a 50 odd cypriot fella who was at the game with my best pal, they were sat next to a man with his very young son who ate the banana before KO and threw the skin on the floor.When the scum scored they came over and were goading our fans, the main culprit was Bellerin, our fans went mental and got out of hand , this guy picked up the skin off the floor and chucked it at Bellerin. He didn't plan it or bring the banana into the ground, it was there and when the red mist took over ,he just picked up anything to throw at them and unfortunately it was the skin..
The police believe him that this was NOT a racist act and have charged him with throwing a missile NOT racist act.
The fella called the club and they also believe him, but they said he will be banned untill the outcome of the courts.
HE WAS STUPID AND OUT OF ORDER, but do not believe whats being reported...THIS WAS NOT RACIST ACT.

I am not saying he shouldn't be punished or banned, but i wanted the truth to be told that it wasn't a racist act by our fan.
 

jonnyp

Well-Known Member
Jun 11, 2006
7,148
9,611
He's an idiot but how can the court know for a fact and decide that it was a racist act just from that incident alone? The UK judicial system really needs an overhaul. People are getting tried and convicted for twitter remarks, youtube videos etc. It's proper 1984 scary.
 

Thewobbler

Well-Known Member
Oct 29, 2016
3,814
5,701
Didn't realise that the club ha already banned him for life. What an idiot, he will never see the new stadium. Out of curiosity how easy would it be for him to get to a game?
 

cider spurs

Well-Known Member
Jul 5, 2016
9,399
23,731
He's an idiot but how can the court know for a fact and decide that it was a racist act just from that incident alone? The UK judicial system really needs an overhaul. People are getting tried and convicted for twitter remarks, youtube videos etc. It's proper 1984 scary.

Videos ??...1984 scary...

 

SpaggyBoy

Well-Known Member
Sep 22, 2003
1,303
3,782
He's an idiot but how can the court know for a fact and decide that it was a racist act just from that incident alone?

They have a trial. This where both sides present their evidence and the magistrate will decide in favour of the most cogent argument.

The UK judicial system really needs an overhaul. People are getting tried and convicted for twitter remarks, youtube videos etc. It's proper 1984 scary.

It's really easy not to get convicted for this... Just don't be a racist dick online. See, easy!
 

TottenhamMattSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
10,925
16,007
He's an idiot but how can the court know for a fact and decide that it was a racist act just from that incident alone? The UK judicial system really needs an overhaul. People are getting tried and convicted for twitter remarks, youtube videos etc. It's proper 1984 scary.
It's a banana skin and there was a black player.
2+2 = 28
 

Primativ

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2017
3,229
12,486
To be honest it's hardly a stretch thinking a player throwing a banana at a player is with racist intentions. He may or may not be a racist, but at the end of the day, picking up and throwing anything at a player is stupid and reckless, but a banana, utterly deplorable. The bloke deserves a 4 year ban just for being so thick and idiotic.

Do we expect the courts to take his word for it that throwing a banana at a group of players containing black players was just an innocent non racist mistake?
 

'O Zio

Well-Known Member
Dec 27, 2014
7,405
13,785
Whether or not it was deliberately racist or not doesn't matter because throwing anything at a player gets you banned so no sympathy at all from me.
 

aliyid

Well-Known Member
Dec 28, 2004
6,927
19,886
Something overlooked in the article...

Panteli, who has been a Spurs supporter since the age of seven, has already been given a lifetime ban by the club and said he has apologised.

No word yet on if they used the ban stick in the same way as @Archibald&Crooks :wideyed:
 

thecook

Well-Known Member
Jan 17, 2009
5,570
10,947
Also the gooner fan who threw a plastic bottle at Dier in the same match got a £650 fine and 3 year banning order.
 

'O Zio

Well-Known Member
Dec 27, 2014
7,405
13,785
Also the gooner fan who threw a plastic bottle at Dier in the same match got a £650 fine and 3 year banning order.

Exactly. People up in arms saying it wasn't racist but that's besides the point when what he did was a crime that results in a ban anyway.
 

vegassd

The ghost of Johnny Cash
Aug 5, 2006
3,356
3,330
I am somewhat inclined to believe, with a name like Averof, he didn't do it out of racism though.
That doesn't discount racism at all. From my own experience, Mediterranean folks can be incredibly racist. Totally agree with everything else though - why can't people chill the fuck out at football games?!

He did a stupid thing and he's been banned by the club. It should serve as a cautionary tale to other fans (of all clubs) who are ever in a similar position but we all know it won't.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top