Morecambe’s Yann Songo’o suspended for six matches for homophobic slur

Morecambe midfielder Yann Songo’o has been suspended for a minimum of six matches after making an alleged homophobic insult directly to an opposition player.

He was sent off by EFL referee Paul Howard in a League Two fixture against Tranmere on the 30th of January following the incident. The French-born midfielder’s reaction was sparked after giving away a foul, which led to a Tranmere player receiving treatment. The Football Association then opened an investigation into the event.

The 29-year-old has been ordered to undertake face-to-face anti-discrimination education by the FA after being found to be in ‘aggravated breach’ of FA Rule E3.2. The charge of improper conduct resulted from the nature of the language used by Songo’o in reference to sexual orientation.

The former Scunthorpe and Plymouth man has admitted the charge against him; he has since apologised for his actions while asking for forgiveness. An independent regulatory commission that dealt with the hearing also sanctioned a further four-game ban to the two he has already served. 

Morecambe issued a statement on their website and social media, which outlined their support against all abuse in sport. Therefore, anything on the grounds of race, colour, religion, gender identity, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation.

In the statement, the Shrimps reinforced the importance of making the club an inclusive environment for everyone and underpin the responsibility of all staff connected with the club through diversity, equality, and inclusion training.

Yann Songo’o told the Morecambe FC website:

“I’d like to offer a sincere apology for any offence I’ve caused”.

“I’m really disappointed in myself for using that term, because it does not reflect the type of person I am but it was under provocation”.

“I’m totally against any form of discrimination and I know what I said was totally unacceptable, I can only apologise and ask for forgiveness to anyone I offended.”

The Tranmere LGBT+ fans group Rover and Out supported the actions of their players on the pitch after the incident. They went on record to congratulate their team’s response to the situation when recognising that the language used was unacceptable.

An Issue in Football

Progress has been made in tackling homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia over recent years. The emergence of organisations such as Stonewall and inclusive fan groups within professional football clubs has become much more visible.

Alongside this, campaigns such as Football vs Homophobia initially started in the UK, prior to becoming an international initiative. The rainbow laces campaign has been greatly received by fans and players alike, as tackling the issue from grassroots right through to the professional game has been stepped up.

Despite this, according to anti-racism group Kick It Out, the game saw a 42% rise in reports of discrimination during the 2019/20 season. More notably, a 95% rise in reports of abuse based on sexual orientation.

In the USL (second tier of US men’s football), Collin Martin from San Diego Loyal has suffered the pressures of being a gay footballer since he came out in 2018. However, after homophobic abuse got directed towards him in a match against Phoenix Rising, Martin’s teammates walked off the pitch in protest against abuse.

A stance supported by San Diego Loyal manager Landon Donavan, who used to play in the Premier League for Everton. This situation sent reverberations across football, gaining support on teams acting against such discrimination in the game, as the fight to eradicate all abuse from the ‘beautiful game’ continues.

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