Three year Football Banning Order issued to Everton fan from Southport

A three year Football Banning Order has been issued to an Everton fan for shouting a racist slur during the game against Burnley on Monday 13 September 2021.

Deanna Franklin, aged 43, of Bath Street North, Southport was handed the ban after it was reported that she directed a racist slur towards a Burnley player during the game.

Fans overheard the slur being used and challenged. Franklin. Fans then further reported Franklin’s behaviour to stewards who reported it to officers at the scene.

Franklin voluntarily attended a police station for interview and was charged following an investigation.

On Wednesday 16 February Franklin appeared at South Sefton Magistrates Court in Bootle and was issued with a three year Football Banning Order, preventing her from attending any regulated football matches during that time.

She must also not go within a mile of Goodison Park for two hours either before kick off or after a match ends when Everton play there. The same rule applies to stadiums in other cities when Everton travel there for games.

Franklin was also ordered to pay a £180 fine and court costs.

Detective Inspector Chris Saidi said: “Merseyside is an inclusive and welcoming place and, whatever football team you support, we stand united in saying that there is absolutely no place for hate anywhere on Merseyside.

“This result shows that we will not tolerate hate anywhere on Merseyside.  Franklin will now have a criminal record, and the consequences of this could prove to be significant.

“Let me be clear – to the tiny minority of fans who feel that racist slurs are acceptable, we will work with clubs to find those responsible and bring those responsible to justice.

“I would like to thank the fans who reported Franklin’s behaviour and the professional response of Everton Football Club stewards.

“I would like to take this opportunity to encourage any football fans with information on such incidents to speak with officers or stewards at the ground or call 101 so that offenders can be found and face the consequences of their actions.”

Anyone with information on hate crime is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’. You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.

If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org. You can also download the Stop Hate UK reporting app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Across Merseyside, we also have a number of third party reporting centres including fire stations, citizens advice bureaus and hospitals. A list of locations can be viewed here: merseyside-third-party-hate-crime-reporting-centres.pdf

You can report an incident of discrimination in football - whether it took place online or at a grassroots, non-league or professional game – by downloading the Kick It Out app. You can also report any incidents via their online form here: https://www.kickitout.org/forms/online-reporting-form.