Fans given football bans after racist and violent incidents

May 20 2008 by Richard Down, Liverpool Daily Post

TWO men have been given football bans totalling nine years after being found guilty of hurling racial abuse at players and attacking police at two separate matches.

Bryan Roza, 29, of Arncliffe Road, Halewood, was arrested following the Everton versus Chelsea fixture on April 17.

Chelsea fielded a team with six black players, including England star Ashley Cole.

Roza was detained for shouting racial abuse at one of the footballers, although police have not revealed which particular player was singled out for the foul mouthed tirade.

Roza appeared before North Liverpool Community Justice Court where he was given a fine and a three-year Football Banning Order. In a separate incident during the Everton versus Metalist Kharkiv match on September 20 last year, David Hurst, 22, of Fairstead, Skelmersdale, was arrested for assaulting two police officers.

Hurst was sentenced to four months in prison for this assault on Goodison Road after the match, and he also received a six-year Football Banning Order.

PC Lee Lomax, from Merseyside Police, said: “Our aim is to ensure football matches remain a family- friendly environment. We will not tolerate any kind of violence or racist abuse.”

Everton spokesman Ian Ross added: “There’s no place for people like that at Everton. The board of directors will discuss these two at the next meeting and they may well decide to impose their own measures.”

These could include a life ban.