Brighton chief executive Paul Barber: "We expect all our supporters to adhere to some basic levels of respect, as the vast majority do, but those who choose not to will be faced with sanctions such as these, and, where appropriate, criminal charges and prosecution"
Tuesday 9 March 2021 13:50, UK
Brighton have banned a season ticket holder for two seasons for posting an offensive tweet aimed at another club.
The Premier League club have taken action after an "offensive and inappropriate social media post" was highlighted by Brighton fans and other supporters.
Chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber said: "We have made clear our zero-tolerance policy many times over, and there is no excuse for abusive and offensive comments being posted online.
"We expect all our supporters to adhere to some basic levels of respect, as the vast majority do, but those who choose not to will be faced with sanctions such as these, and, where appropriate, criminal charges and prosecution.
"In this instance, we thank those of our supporters who highlighted the posting to the club.
"As a result, the individual concerned has had their season ticket cancelled and a two-year ban imposed.
"We have stopped short of naming the individual or highlighting the post and we would request others to do the same as we do not wish to further highlight the behaviour or cause additional offence."
The Football Association has called on social media platforms to introduce identification in a bid to deter online hate.
The FA says it is putting more pressure on companies, including Twitter and Instagram, to do more to combat abuse.
"I do think there should be some way in which users are identified," Mark Bullingham, the FA's chief executive, told Sky Sports News.
"At the moment, they are able to completely avoid any personal responsibility and we think that they have to face up for what they're doing, in a small number of cases, on social media."
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