Lack of club reps annoys Skuse

THE Guernsey Football Association are disappointed that Rovers, who publicly said that racism was rife in the Priaulx League, did not attend a special meeting about the issue. In December, Rovers coach Martyn Dorey wrote to the GFA and stated in the Guernsey Press that local referees were not doing enough to deal with the racial abuse that he claimed his Portuguese player, Luis de Jesus, was receiving on the pitch week in, week out.

In response, the GFA director in charge of referees, Graham Skuse, arranged a meeting on the subject at the GFA headquarters on Monday evening for all clubs and referees.

'St Martin's and Vale Rec were the only clubs at the meeting and I got a note of apology for not attending only from Sylvans,' said Skuse yesterday.

'It's very, very disappointing and it was particularly disappointing that Rovers weren't there.'

Yesterday when contacted, Dorey was laid up in bed with flu and claimed that he had not been well enough to attend the meeting.

'I would have gone but we also had first-team training and a meeting of our own and, if I had felt 100%, I would have done all of it,' he said.

'It couldn't have come on a worse night for me. It was my intention to go along.'

During the meeting, Skuse announced that the English FA recommended that referees adopted a zero tolerance attitude.

Any offensive, insulting or abusive language from one player to another on the pitch that the official witnesses first hand, should result in a straight red card.

If it is reported to the referee by a third party, he should take down as many details as he can about the victim and the accused, write a report after the match and wait and see if the matter is reported to the GFA.

If it is, the referee's report will be given to the association.

'I think common sense has got to come into it,' said Skuse.

'All we did last night was point out the facts but that has to be tempered with common sense. Provided the referee hears it, it's an automatic red.

'But the referee can't do anything about it if he doesn't hear it. He goes home, puts a report together and he doesn't send it to the GFA until someone complains and then there's a report ready.

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Dorey claims that he had spoken a number of times to referees about the racial abuse de Jesus was receiving. He decided that enough was enough when he claims that de Jesus was punched in the face in an off-the-ball incident during a match with Sylvans.

'The first time we complained to a referee, he said he didn't hear anything and that's fair enough,' said Dorey.

'But it happened a couple more times and then Luis got hit in the face at St Peter's. It's something that we've commented on at Rovers several times.

'But it's far better now since it's been brought out into the open and players know that referees are looking for it, so they know they can't do it. I find that Luis is treated the same as any other player now and that is what we wanted.

'As far as I'm aware, everything is fine and there are no problems as far as I know. Before it came out into the open, I'd hear racial remarks every game.

'Now there's nothing and several players from opposing teams have said that they agree with the comments made and they hope that it brings an end to it.

'I've been really pleased with that. I'm confident now that whatever action the GFA take will be sufficient.'

De Jesus also says that the racial abuse he suffered on the pitch is declining after his plight had been made public. He had claimed in the Guernsey Press that he was regularly subjected to foul and abusive language with regard to his heritage and the colour of his skin.

It was so bad that he considered giving up.

'It's getting better,' he said.

'I think the referees have got more on top of it after the thing in the paper. I don't think I will give up now just for my friends at the club who have asked me not to.'

Portuguese team OCS, who turn out in the Sunday League Second Division, had said that they, too, were regularly subjected to unsavoury comments. And they also agree with Dorey and de Jesus that the situation was now not as bad.

Before a recent match with Wayfarers, both teams posed with a home-made banner saying, 'Say No To Racism'.

'It's better than before and everything has improved a lot and everyone is happy since we did the picture and the article,' said OCS captain Helder Freitas.

'At the end of the day, everyone understands that we are here to enjoy our football.'

Skuse is delighted to hear that racism in the island's football scene is on the decrease and that his officials seemed to be doing their best to stamp it out. But he warns that there is still work to be done.

'I'm pleased to see that the message is getting home but I'm disappointed that it had to be hammered home again,' said Skuse.

'It's an area that we've got to get to grips with or the FA will get to grips with us. I'm pleased to see it declining but we're not going to rest on our laurels.'

n CHRIS TARDIF started his first Nationwide Conference game of the season for Oxford United on Monday but could not prevent them slipping to a 1-0 defeat at home to Rushden & Diamonds, which was shown live on Sky Sports.

The Guernseyman got a rare opportunity because of an injury to Billy Turley and, despite a shaky start, he made a couple of outstanding saves but could do nothing about Chris Beardsley's pinpoint header that decided the match.

* YESTERDAY'S Guernsey Press carried the headline '?Little angels? force new ref into rapid exit'.

The term 'little angels' was taken from a quote of Rod Hamon, president of the Ernst & Young Business League.

We are happy to clarify that neither the headline nor the article were making reference to the Five-a-side Division One team called Little Angels.