KICK IT OUT have issued a strong response to the comments made by Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan. In an interview with The Guardian, Whelan defended his appointment of Malkay Mackay, who was previously alleged to have made anti-semitic remarks via a series of mobile phone text messages.
In the same interview, Whelan said that jewish people ‘love money’. Kick It Out, the organisation that deals with racism in football, released a statement this evening condemning Whelan’s remarks and urged the FA to act swiftly to deal with the matter.
“The Football Association has outlined in a statement that ‘no assurances have been given on the outcome of the case’ yet Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan continues to suggest elsewhere that two ‘influential’ people have informed him that ‘nothing will come’ from the investigation,” the statement reads.
“This comes shortly after the Guardian published comments from Whelan that ‘Jewish people chase money more than everybody else’ and that the word ‘chink’ is not offensive. He has brought into question whether he is a fit and proper person who should be running a professional football club.
“The remarks act as another example of the culture which continues to exist within football, and further proves that some in positions of power seem comfortable sharing those views either privately or publicly. These comments must not go unchallenged and have to be investigated by The FA. The FA also needs to get to the bottom of Whelan’s insistence that he has been in contact with ‘influential’ figures within its own organisation about the Malky Mackay and Iain Moody case. They must ascertain whether his claims have any substance by conducting an investigation into this too.”
First published at 22.24
