A PINJARRA spectator has been banned from all football games within the Peel district after he failed to front the tribunal on Tuesday to answer a racial abuse charge.
Umpire Barry Lawrence was in charge of a Pinjarra versus Mandurah junior grand final last weekend when the spectator racially abused him.
Lawrence said the accused failed to front the tribunal, with a Pinjarra Football Club junior representative in his place.
“It is a very serious charge,” Lawrence said.
“A notice was handed to not attend any football games within the Peel district until he attends the tribunal.”
Lawrence said it would be up to the Pinjarra Football Club to police the matter until the accused completes the requirements set out by the tribunal, which includes a written apology.
As a well-respected umpire, Lawrence said he returned to umpire junior matches when he found out the league was short.
“I had only been back six weeks after spending time coaching,” he said.
Lawrence said he was disappointed with the outcome but praised the tribunal for the handling of the situation.
“I am not getting the satisfaction from it but the tribunal did the best they could without the appearance,” he said.
“He hasn’t been made responsible.”
Lawrence said he had not received an apology from the Pinjarra Junior Football Club and did not want to see the kind of racial remarks now used by children playing the game.
“Using those remarks in a junior competition does not send the right message to children,” he said.
“Kids could start to think it’s natural to say those things.”
Despite being racially abused as a player in the past, Lawrence said it was the first time he had been racially abused as an umpire and did not want to see a trend continue.
“It needs to stop,” he said.
“Time needs to change and it had so we don’t want to go backwards.”
