PFA confirm they will 'stand alongside' James McClean following 'vile' sectarian abuse

The Professional Footballer’s Association (PFA) of England will ‘stand alongside’ James McClean after he was subjected to sectarian abuse at Huddersfield Town on Wednesday.

The Stoke City winger complained of abuse directed at him by fans of the Terriers just past the hour mark in Stoke’s 5-2 win on Wednesday afternoon.

The referee in charge called a halt to the game and an announcement was read over the PA affirming that “racist chanting is affecting the game and will not be tolerated.”

McClean had reported a similar incident in the 3-2 win over Sheffield United on St Stephen’s Day, having been encouraged by the PFA to bring all abuse to the match official’s attention.

The player’s association released a statement on Thursday evening reiterated their support for the Republic of Ireland international and criticising the “vile abuse” to which he is routinely subjected.

“In the opening league fixtures of 2020, yet another match was marred by discriminatory abuse aimed towards a player,” read the statement.

“The Championship match between Huddersfield and Stoke City was halted and a stadium announcement was made warning against ‘offensive behaviour’ due to sectarian chanting aimed at James McClean. 

“James has been subjected to this type of vile abuse throughout his career, and he will be fully supported in the same way as any other individual who receives abuse based on their race, religion or nationality.

“The PFA have previously advised James to report sectarian chanting to match officials and we are satisfied that in this instance the protocol was enacted. However, this action in isolation is not sufficient.

Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill and Huddersfield Town boss Danny Cowley both condemned the actions of the fans after the game and called for full and appropriate action to be taken.



McClean has routinely been targeted for abuse due to his support for a United Ireland and his decision not to wear a Remembrance Day poppy in November.

All Premier League and Football League clubs adorn the poppy, which was envisaged to support veterans from World Wars One and Two, and it has wide support among fans of many clubs.

McClean expressed his reasons for not wearing the poppy in a letter to then-employer Dave Whelan of Wigan Athletic in 2014, while Manchester United’s Nemanja Matic has also declined to wear it.

The abuse directed towards McClean has been particularly virulent around Remembrance Day but he has been abused by rival fans and those of his own clubs throughout the years.

The PFA statement continued: “We welcome that Huddersfield have committed to a full investigation to identify offenders; we hope that the perpetrators will face further consequences from both within and outside the game.

“In addition, as with other forms of discrimination, it has become clear that this type of abuse is on the rise and is becoming a weekly occurrence for James.



“We will be talking with PGMO and the EFL to ensure that match officials are vigilant to this type of chanting and hope to see future action taken proactively on James’ behalf.

“There is no justification for this or any other type of abuse and the PFA stands fully beside every player who faces discrimination.

“In December, we called for a government enquiry into racism and the rise in hate crime within football and will continue to pursue this issue.

“Stakeholders within the game must work in partnership with the government, police and clubs to drive this agenda and set a zero-tolerance policy within stadiums.”