LONDON – A man from North West England was spared a prison sentence on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to posting racist abuse on social media after three black football team players He missed a penalty in the European Championship final in July.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Scott McCluskey, 43, of Cheshire posted comments about Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after England lost to Italy on penalties.
McCluskey told police he smoked marijuana on the finale and posted comments that made people laugh. He said he didn’t realize his comments would be considered racist and that he deleted them after seeing responses from other social media users.
McCluskey pleaded guilty at Warrington Magistrates’ Court. District Judge Nicholas Sanders sentenced him to 14 weeks in prison but gave him an 18-month suspended sentence. McCluskey will also be subject to an electronically monitored curfew on Saturdays and Sundays for 40 weeks.
“Hate crimes like this have a huge impact on players and their mental health,” said Deputy Prosecutor Elizabeth Jenkins. “(Crown Prosecution Service) takes this type of violation very seriously and this case shows that if offensive content is reported to the police, we can successfully bring offenders to justice.”
At least 11 people have been arrested in connection with widespread racist abuse targeting three players after the final, according to the English Football Policy Unit.
