Monday, January 10, 2011

Liverpool Players Accused Of Racism In FA Youth Cup

Kenny Dalglish's jobs as Liverpool's new short-term manager this week will include investigating a racism row involving the club's academy players. It follows an allegation that Crystal Palace's players were subjected to racial abuse during their FA Youth Cup fourth‑round tie at Anfield on Saturday. One player said he was "disgusted" by what he had heard.

The Football Association intends to contact Palace today for a full account of what happened and to ascertain whether they intend to make an official complaint. Palace was not returning calls yesterday.

The FA may also ask to speak to Dan Pringle, one of the players involved in a 3-1 defeat for Palace. Pringle expressed his dismay on his Twitter account after the match, saying: "Disappointed with result but really disgusted with the racism from Liverpool throughout the game. Disgraceful."

When he was contacted by several Palace supporters he later clarified that he was talking about Liverpool's players rather than the crowd.

Liverpool reacted with surprise, not least as they had several black players in their team. A club spokesman said: "We didn't receive any complaints either during or after the game and nothing was mentioned by the referee."

Liverpool's academy side is managed by Rodolfo Borrell, who was appointed in July 2009 after a successful 13-year spell at Barcelona, where he managed every age group from under‑11 to under‑17.

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