Labour MP shamed for calling footballer a "fairy"

Labour MP Stephen Pound has been accused of calling Arsenal’s former England defender Sol Campbell a “fairy” during a recent Premier League football match.

Labour MP Stephen Pound has been accused of calling Arsenal’s former England defender Sol Campbell a “fairy” during a recent Premier League football match.

The recently re-elected Labour politician is said to have made the homophobic remark when his football team, Fulham, failed to overcome rivals Arsenal during a game at the Emirates Stadium in North London, last weekend.

The 61-year-old was heard making a string of offensive remarks whilst ranting from his £35,000-a-year executive box.

One Arsenal fan who was present at the match with his wife and teenage son told The Daily Mail: “Usually, if you are an away supporter in a box, you keep very quiet. We were in front of this executive box and I heard a stream of abuse.

“Two ladies behind me said they couldn’t believe the language being used, and that they thought it was coming from an MP. I turned round and recognised Stephen Pound.

“He called out to Sol Campbell saying ‘You are a big f***ing fairy.’ I was so shocked that I wrote what he said down in my programme. It was the language of the gutter. He went on to shout abuse at the ref saying ‘What game are you at — you f***ing w****r.’ Then I saw him leaning over the box to make an offensive gesture. A steward went up to him to remonstrate.”

Pound, who voted for gay equality rights in Parliament, insists his words were not directed at Campbell, saying: “I am thoroughly ashamed of myself. I didn’t call Sol Campbell any names — I would never have done that. But I did insult the referee because Sol Campbell brought down our striker in the penalty box, but a penalty wasn’t given.

“I am also embarrassed to admit that I gave the ‘coffee bean’ gesture. The steward is a constituent of mine. He came up to me and asked me to keep my language down because there were children present.

“I apologised profusely and said I wouldn’t do it again and sat there with my mouth zipped for the rest of the game. He didn’t ask me to leave but had he done so, I would have.”

http://news.pinkpaper.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=2980

... continue to have Neanderthal instincts. No excuse.

The Skin

by football fans up and down the country

http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Potters&action=print&thread=124199

And that is just a Stoke City fan site. I dread to think what they are saying on the Tottenham ones.

Does not make it right, of course, but Campbell is not one of the worlds most lovable footballers.

As for Pound he has shown terrible judgement but then that was obvious before he opened his mouth as he was paying good money to watch Fulham.

Labour is the party of Tony Blair and Ruth Kelly; it's a nest of homophobes. Our social democratic NDP in Canada would never tolerate Opus Dei barbarians.

Whatever you may think of Blair (and I've never liked him), he's no homophobe.

There are cuckoos in the nest, but there's no institutionalised homophobia in the Labour Party.

Get your facts right.

The Skin

Did why did he make an Opus Dei nut job with a history of opposing gay rights the Minister responsible for women's and LGBT equivalent? Not calling Blair a homophobe is disingenuous.

Get a grip, BH. I hated Nulab's philosophy but they did do some good stuff.

The Skin