Former Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has apologised for his controversial remarks on Adam Johnson.
Strachan has been accused of linking racist abuse with the convicted sex offenders’ situation while appearing on Sky Sports’ The Debate programme.
2
Strachan has come under fire for recent comments about Johnson
Johnson has recently been released after serving three years in prison for engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old fan, and the ex-England winger has not ruled out a return to football.
Strachan said: “If he goes on to the pitch and people start calling him names, have we got to do the same as it is to the racist situation?
“Is it all right to call him names now after doing his three years – have we got to allow that to happen?”
2
Adam Johnson was released from prison after serving three years
In a statement issued through Press Association Sport, Strachan said: “Given the response in the last 24 hours to a point made on The Debate programme on Sky Sports from over a week ago, and having reflected on it personally, it is important for me to address the issues that have arisen.
“In no way did I intended to confuse or conflate the very serious issue of racism targeted at footballers with the potential verbal abuse towards a player who has been convicted of a sexual offence.
Strachan is an occasional contributor to the programme but Press Association Sport understands he will not be used again.
“Having reviewed the particular segment in light of the reaction, I fully acknowledge that the imprecise use of language in my initial response has left open a perception that should easily have been avoided. For that I sincerely apologise.
“I should have communicated my point more clearly and without the need to refer to the earlier discussion, during which I was clear in my condemnation of the racist abuse which continues to blight football.
LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS
“I am also cognisant of the fact that the question asked on a football debate show – whether Adam Johnson will be able to resume his professional football career because of the stigma attached to his crime – did not afford the opportunity to demonstrate the requisite empathy or support towards the survivor.
“I would like to take the opportunity to atone for that: to reaffirm my condemnation of the behaviour that led to the player’s conviction, to convey my heartfelt sympathy and support to the survivor, and to apologise for any unintended distress caused.”
Strachan is not an employee of Sky so is not subject to its disciplinary protocols, but the broadcaster has distanced itself from the Scot’s remarks.
A Sky statement read: “The comments were made by a guest on The Debate. Of course Sky Sports does not support the comments and we’re sorry for the offence they have caused.”
Premier League top four WILL qualify automatically into Champions League group stages from next season Uefa confirm several changes for its showpiece competition to be implemented from the start
Premier League permutations explained: Who will qualify for
Sheffield United 2-0 Ipswich Town: Blades on brink of Premier League return Apr 27, 2019 administration Football 0 Sheffield United effectively seal promotion to the Premier League by beating relegated Ipswich at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield United 2 Ipswich Town 0: Blades close in on Premier
'Literally worse than Alvaro Morata' - Some Chelsea fans turn on Gonzalo Higuain as Maurizio Sarri gives update about striker's future Gonzalo Higuain's Chelsea career hit a new low on Sunday as fans began to turn on the Argentine striker after his performance against Manchester United.
Gonzalo HiguaÃn #9-nyheter, statistik, foton - Napoli
Grant Leadbitter kept mother's tragic death a secret as Sunderland reached Wembley. Sunderland midfielder Grant Leadbitter kept his heartbreak sadness from his teammates as the Black Cats beat
Grant Leadbitter helped Sunderland to Wembley the day after
Sports Mole previews Wednesday's huge Champions League semi-final first leg between Barcelona and Liverpool, including predictions, team news and head-to-head records. One down, two to go
NewsNow: Roberto Firmino news | Breaking News 24/7
Next Celtic manager odds: Rafael Benitez and Patrick Vieira among contenders to be Brendan Rodgers' permanent replacement. The main one saw manager Brendan Rodgers leave the club mid-season
Rafael Benitez and Patrick Vieira among contenders to be
Spurs 2019/20 Away Kit - Rumours. For the new Spurs Away kit we could be getting the rare feature of iridescent brand and crest details. Nike have tried their hand with this sort of application before, and it will be interesting to see how they incorporate the feature into Spurs' kits.
Premier League 2019/20 confirmed and leaked kits: What YOUR
Manchester United and Manchester City have both been linked with Lille youngster Exauce Mpembele. The 17-year-old currently plays for the Ligue 1 club's youth teams but he is already starting to attract attention from some of Europe's biggest teams.
Manchester United transfer news: Red Devils tracking Lille
FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 Match Schedule The match schedule for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 which will be hosted in France has been announced.. The host cities for this tournament are Grenoble, Le Havre, Lyon, Montpellier, Nice, Paris, Reims, Rennes, and Valenciennes.
Fifa Women's World Cup 2019: Fixtures, groups, TV channel
Reece James: What those in the know say about the Chelsea loanee who has starred for Wigan in the Championship this season by: 161385360554578 — Talk Sport 24 Apr Reece James has been one of the stars of the Championship this season where the young Chelsea defender has excelled during his season-long loan spell at Wigan.
Wigan boss sees big future for James - chelseafc.com
Live Coverage of Ajax vs. Tottenham Hotspur Wednesday, May 8, 2019 on MSN Sports Their team are 45 minutes from a Champions League final. Heung-Min Son. Midfielder. Substitutes. 22.
Ajax vs Tottenham result, Champions League semi-final 2019
John Aldridge has tweeted about Virgil van Dijk and the Champions League final pitch invader. Kinsey Wolanski brought a temporary halt to Liverpool's 2-0 victory Tottenham on Saturday after she
John Aldridge posts funny tweet about Liverpool | SportSpyder
West Ham United will find it impossible to recreate the intense atmosphere of Upton Park and turn the Olympic Stadium into a "fortress" when they move there next season, said manager Slaven Bilic.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted getting the best out of Paul Pogba is one of his major challenges as Manchester United caretaker boss. Pogba, United's club record £89millon signing and a World
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told to rebuild Manchester United team
Pep Guardiola has confirmed he dropped Kevin De Bruyne from the Manchester City starting line-up for Tuesday's defeat to Tottenham for tactical reasons. City boss Guardiola insists his side
Soccer: Guardiola upbeat despite Man City setback at
No comments:
Post a Comment