Nottingham Forest condemn 'sickening' abuse of Derby fan
Monday 17 December 2018 17:30, UK
Nottingham Forest say they are “sickened” after a video was posted on social media which showed the abuse of a vulnerable Derby fan.
The individual made references to Nottingham Forest as he taunted the fan and the club have condemned his behaviour.
A club statement read: "The individual committing the abuse made references to Nottingham Forest. The club is sickened by this incident and condemns this conduct in absolute terms.
"The club has been in contact with colleagues at Derby County and will co-operate to ensure that the young victim in the footage is identified and arrangements will be made for him to attend the Forest vs Derby match in February as a guest of both clubs.
"Disciplinary steps will be taken against the individual(s) concerned as appropriate."
The two East Midlands clubs will meet for the first time this season in the league at Pride Park on Monday, live on Sky Sports Football.
Nottinghamshire Police are treating the incident as a hate crime and have launched an investigation.
They made the following statement on the incident: "We're aware of a video circulating on social media and we're working together with Nottingham Forest Football Club to investigate the incident.
"We are treating the incident as a hate crime. We're appealing for anyone who knows who made the video to get in contact with us.
"We'd also like to appeal directly to the person responsible for making the video to get in touch with us so they can explain their actions.
"We're also keen to speak to anyone who knows the victim. Please call us on 101, quoting incident number 408 of 17 December 2018."
