Goncalves - some Hearts fans in racist abuse claims

[TorinoJambo]

6 hours ago, OTT said:

 

Agreed. He's chucked the club under the bus and if I was a club considering signing him I'd be wary. 

 

I also firmly believe that had he went through the proper channels at the time the fans by and large would have rallied round him which would have minimised the abuse he was getting for his poor form. 

i agree. There is a total dearth of evidence. When did this happen? What games? Which areas of the ground? We have been placed in an invidious position, open to all the Hibbie and otherwise trolls and the scrapings of the gutter press. The apology is probably right but there is something not quite right about the whole thing. By the way I abhor racism.

[jr ewing]

So we have not even identified which stand this abuse allegedly took place yet?

[The Treasurer]

7 minutes ago, Geoff Kilpatrick said:

Perhaps it's due to the club making a statement about it? Just a thought.

They (the media) certainly didn't give the same coverage when the club made previous statements on things like vandalism and sectarian chants from the arse cheeks.

Make no mistake this is an opportunity for the media to show us in a bad light. They couldn't wait to grab it.

Should this really be the lead story on the TV news ?

 

[Mollo]

Why is it folk seem to think "if you are a victim of abuse - you MUST react EXACTLY as our textbook says you should - otherwise your a dick"?

 

Maybe along his life he's dealt with it by turning away from it, maybe he learnt to shrug it off, perhaps his family didn't want it reported until after they left, perhaps he didn't want the club to be punished at the time, or maybe, just maybe - he dealt with it how he wanted to.

 

I'm shocked that so many folk think he should have handled it by THEIR rules. The fact is he hasn't named anyone, he probably cannot name anyone, he's MENTIONED IT - so what if it's a day after, a week after or a decade after? So what if it's in a newspaper interview?

 

Should victims of child abuse keep quiet 'unless they have proof'? What a terrible mindset.

 

'Beyond all reasonable doubt' - it probably did happen. Loads of us have heard such stuff on terraces. The club reacted the right way, releasing a pro-active response to the general subject - not crying and whining about the man himself being 'naughty for saying so'

[The Treasurer]

11 minutes ago, Peebo said:

A player saying that a big motivation in leaving a club was racist abuse from its fans - do people genuinely expect that not to make headlines?!?! 

The fact he's been "driven out" to a much more lucrative contract would probably be a bigger motivation IMO

[Peebo]

3 minutes ago, Mollo said:

Why is it folk seem to think "if you are a victim of abuse - you MUST react EXACTLY as our textbook says you should - otherwise your a dick"?

 

Maybe along his life he's dealt with it by turning away from it, maybe he learnt to shrug it off, perhaps his family didn't want it reported until after they left, perhaps he didn't want the club to be punished at the time, or maybe, just maybe - he dealt with it how he wanted to.

 

I'm shocked that so many folk think he should have handled it by THEIR rules. The fact is he hasn't named anyone, he probably cannot name anyone, he's MENTIONED IT - so what if it's a day after, a week after or a decade after? So what if it's in a newspaper interview?

 

Should victims of child abuse keep quiet 'unless they have proof'? What a terrible mindset.

 

'Beyond all reasonable doubt' - it probably did happen. Loads of us have heard such stuff on terraces. The club reacted the right way, releasing a pro-active response to the general subject - not crying and whining about the man himself being 'naughty for saying so'

Post of the thread. 

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

3 minutes ago, Mollo said:

Why is it folk seem to think "if you are a victim of abuse - you MUST react EXACTLY as our textbook says you should - otherwise your a dick"?

 

Maybe along his life he's dealt with it by turning away from it, maybe he learnt to shrug it off, perhaps his family didn't want it reported until after they left, perhaps he didn't want the club to be punished at the time, or maybe, just maybe - he dealt with it how he wanted to.

 

I'm shocked that so many folk think he should have handled it by THEIR rules. The fact is he hasn't named anyone, he probably cannot name anyone, he's MENTIONED IT - so what if it's a day after, a week after or a decade after? So what if it's in a newspaper interview?

 

Should victims of child abuse keep quiet 'unless they have proof'? What a terrible mindset.

 

'Beyond all reasonable doubt' - it probably did happen. Loads of us have heard such stuff on terraces. The club reacted the right way, releasing a pro-active response to the general subject - not crying and whining about the man himself being 'naughty for saying so'

Good post.

[Peebo]

Just now, The Treasurer said:

The fact he's been "driven out" to a much more lucrative contract would probably be a bigger motivation IMO

Not particularly interesting though, is it?

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

4 minutes ago, The Treasurer said:

They (the media) certainly didn't give the same coverage when the club made previous statements on things like vandalism and sectarian chants from the arse cheeks.

Make no mistake this is an opportunity for the media to show us in a bad light. They couldn't wait to grab it.

Should this really be the lead story on the TV news ?

 

Given the standard of Scottish news, it does not surprise me that it led the news. It doesn't mean it isn't a story worthy of the news though.

[The Treasurer]

4 minutes ago, Peebo said:

Not particularly interesting though, is it?

But factually correct.

Not that facts ever come into it with the media of course

[Beast Boy]

9 minutes ago, Mollo said:

Why is it folk seem to think "if you are a victim of abuse - you MUST react EXACTLY as our textbook says you should - otherwise your a dick"?

 

Maybe along his life he's dealt with it by turning away from it, maybe he learnt to shrug it off, perhaps his family didn't want it reported until after they left, perhaps he didn't want the club to be punished at the time, or maybe, just maybe - he dealt with it how he wanted to.

 

I'm shocked that so many folk think he should have handled it by THEIR rules. The fact is he hasn't named anyone, he probably cannot name anyone, he's MENTIONED IT - so what if it's a day after, a week after or a decade after? So what if it's in a newspaper interview?

 

Should victims of child abuse keep quiet 'unless they have proof'? What a terrible mindset.

 

'Beyond all reasonable doubt' - it probably did happen. Loads of us have heard such stuff on terraces. The club reacted the right way, releasing a pro-active response to the general subject - not crying and whining about the man himself being 'naughty for saying so'

 

This is an excellent post.

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

Some of our support really are in the dark ages.

 

i never rated Isma and i’m pleased we moved him on but I can only sympathise with him. How to make someone feel welcome

[john5698]

1 hour ago, Erik said:

I'm not going to sit here and deny that its happened. That would be somewhat foolish I think.

 

I quite believe that there ARE still a select few people within society who unleash these sorts of comments in public. Is it a Hearts specific problem? Absolutely not. These people exist in all areas of society and can be found wearing the colours of just about every team in the land.

 

And that's where I begin to have the problem with all this. Once again, something at Hearts has been blown up to be national headline news and all of a sudden we're being portrayed as a club / support with a problem which is significantly worse than anyone else. And that's utter horseshit.

 

On a weekly basis, I can just about guarantee there is significantly worse behaviour which comes from followers of certain teams in this country. Week in, week out certain clubs and certain supporters seem utterly immune from criticism.

 

Then this happens and all of a sudden we're all over the front and back pages of the papers.

 

Are there racists and bigots within our support? Most probably, almost certainly.

 

Do Hearts have a problem which is notably worse than any of the other teams in the league? Most probably and almost certainly - NOT.

Agree 100% with this post.

[Section G The Place To Be]

1 hour ago, i8hibsh said:

 

 

I totally respect you and your comments Dave but think about what you said. Why must we take at face value? That means that a ) we have almost no respect or trust for our own fans to instantly point fingers without proof and b ) people have carte blanche to say anything about us as a fanbase and for it to be believed. This to me is wrong. We are in the main a great set of fans with our scum element no more or less than what would represent society as a whole or any other club outside the Old Firm.

 

I have a problem with people automatically being seen as guilty on the say so of one person and there being no physical evidence. I think anyone with an ounce of intelligence and fairness will think this way. 

 

In this situation we have a lot of things to consider. 

1. Isma has came out in the media claiming his family had heard racist comments being made about him.

2. Several Fans have said they have heard Isma receive racial abuse.

3. Some More fans have said they have heard racial abuse in general but haven’t said they heard it directly at Isma.

4. We know we have a scum element in our support that does indulge in racism and sectarianism. 

 

Addressing point 1. When a claim of abuse whether it be racial, sexual, physical, mental or religious the accusers word has to always be believed. We know people make false claims and we know many people have used the race card or woman have falsely accused men of rape etc. These are dealt with and these crimes are just as sickening and damaging as if the person had actually carried it out. But as a rule a potential victim has to be believed or no one would ever come forward.

 

Point 2. Several fans have said they heard the abuse directly at ISMA. We can argue as I have and will continue to do so, the rights and wrongs of why it was not reported at the time. We can also agree there will be some mischief making fans that want to sound important on an Internet forum and also factor in the likelihood of there being trouble making trolls and Hibs fans. However several posters that have said they heard it are not in any of those categories and people on here know them quite well and personally from what I can gather. So why would these fans make something up? 

 

Point 3. Very much like point 2 although this group are not saying they heard it directly at ISMA but it adds more weight to the fact racial abuse is still happening and people witness it. 

 

Point 4. Even you have admitted we have fans that do make racist comments and sectarian ones so the likelihood of this being true increases again. 

 

We we can debate and argue many other things about this and maybe we’ll never get the answers, I agree that Isma has went about this quite badly. I have no doubt whatsoever had he approached Ann Budge, who I can testify for, is a very approachable woman and takes matters like this very seriously. She would have given him way above and beyond any support he and his family needed. She with others at the club would also have made it a top priority to find the culprits and take appropriate action and would have also taken steps to try prevent any other incidents. Isma would have known this about the club and about Ann which makes the point in why he didn’t go to the club quite relevant and right to ask. 

 

My my personal opinion on this whole thing and I know some will disagree. 

 

Has there been racial abuse aimed at Isma? Yes I believe something has been said, I do not believe it to be as terrible and disgusting as the media etc are making out but that’s sensationalism for you, anything to get viewers or increase sales. But racism is racism simple as that no matter what was said. 

 

Do I think it was his reason for leaving. No. The club had already decided we were looking for a club to move him on, long before this was known. 

 

 

 

 

[Peebo]

34 minutes ago, The Treasurer said:

But factually correct.

Not that facts ever come into it with the media of course

That he was racially abused is factually correct, and far more interesting than “player agrees to transfer which will result in him being paid more”. 

[BackOfTheNet]

If anyone has saw my posts from a month ago or so they’ll see why this news about Isma has not surprised me.

 

What has surprised me is the reactions of some of our so called support. The first reaction to this news should be to be horrified, the next is to be angry - at the racists - and then to think about how this can be tackled.

 

What do a lot do? They label Isma a liar, his family liars, claim he’s making excuses or even believe the claims to be true but blame HIM for not bringing it up sooner or going through ‘proper channels’.

 

Having not read this whole thread I can’t completely summarise, but a few points of note:

 

- People seem to think they’re being labelled racist when all they did was call a player lazy. People are not saying that calling a player lazy is racist, what they are saying is that there is an old stereotype about black people that they are lazy and that some elements of the ‘support’ seems to be quick to label black players as such. Now, the stereotype is bollocks, and for that matter those who have been labelled of recent with the lazy tag (Isma and Djoum) have in fact been nothing of the sort. (The running Isma did each game not to mention his physical tussles with opposing defenders showed in fact he was not lazy) Now I’m not saying that all those in the ‘support’ that called him lazy were adhering to a non-sensical racial stereotype, afterall players all have different styles that can be interpreted differently (Ozil is a prime example of someone being labelled as lazy when not), but to doubt that some haven’t quickly went to that stereotype is naive at best.

 

- Isma was racially abused. This is not a debate, this is a fact. Not just because he says it happened, or his family says it - but because several Hearts fans have said they’ve heard it. Anyone doubting the validity of the claims is a complete roaster.

 

- “Why didn’t he report it?” is an awful stance to take. My best mate is not white, he’s as Scottish as I am, but he’s not white. I have seen him get racial abuse by drunken neds in clubs, old ladies in a supermarket and well to do businessmen. He’s had it his whole life. The thing is when it happens his reaction is almost non-existent. He holds me back as I’m the one who is infuriated. One of the worst things is knowing that he’s heard it and encountered it so much in his life that he’s become almost immune to that something to abhorrent can be just another day for him. I’m angry even writing that sentence. I once encountered racist comments at my workplace but as it was my word against the other’s I asked his advice and he said not to bother as nothing would be done, the other person would deny it or the person doing the investigation would not think the comments were bad enough to punish my colleague and in the process I may develop a reputation for being a trouble maker. I followed his advice and to this day feel awful I never reported it. But that’ll give you some insight before anyone says “why didn’t they report?” Also, knowing some people who have worked as stewards, they do not get paid enough or the appropriate training to deal with such matters and as a ST holder I had no idea about any hotline or text service.

 

- “Call it out when it happens if it happens”. Not as easy as that. Went with a family member once who called out a fan two rows behind for using the term fenian. Thing is my family member has a history of boxing and is built like a bricking ****house. I’m not. Never had a proper fight a day in my life. I have no problems with my masculinity, but I’m not going to get into a shouting match with some troglodyte knuckledragging (most likely also drunk) racist, as who knows what they’ll do? And as others point out it’s not just yourself you have to worry about, it’s young or old family members you take with you to the games.

 

A long post, but in short: Isma HAS being racially abused, this is a fact so do not deny it. Blaming Isma and his family for anything to do with this makes you an absolute cretin. Blaming people that hear it but do not immediately act on it is naive and simply deflecting the issue at hand.

 

If you are more annoyed at the fact that Hearts are in this spotlight for this, than you are at the racist sub human scum that give players racial abuse, you are a huge part of the problem.

[Hearts1975]

There is really 3 things here for me 

 

1/ if it is true, and before anyone says anything only Isma knows, some folk saying that they heard it at games - well I hope they reported it at the time - being totally honest and I know if it happened people would deal with it in different ways but if he didn't report it for fear of repercussion or thinking that our own support would turn on him makes me sick to the pit of my stomach - in saying that he still should have reported it at the time rather than waiting to go to another club before making a press release - to the ungodly and folk who aren't hearts supporters this must be music to their ears - no issue is 100% isolated to one club and for those scum who are making out it is unique to hearts they can GTF and eat shite for their dinner 

 

2/ I have never heard one of our own being subject to racist abuse on the terraces - never -however,  I have heard opposition players being subject to it but at the time I didn't report it so in all honesty, I'm as much to blame as anyone else for not speaking up at the time - it has no place in football full stop - if it has happened I hope the club now knowing the allegations will go the whole hog and weed these cretins out of the game altogether and never let them back - u can't rehabilitate racists, their no better than paedophilles 

 

3/ the club had no choice other than to release the statement they did and quickly as if they didn't some vindictive scum would be tarring us all as racists - I believe the absolute majority finds this sickening and if Isma came forward at the time he would have been backed by the absolute majority - unfortunate set of circumstances how this has all came out but if true, we need to sort this out once and for all 

 

end of 

 

[Mollo]

Some of the mindsets on here smack of that old fashioned way of "good grief don't go public, there'll be a bloody outrage"

 

He's not obliged to be quiet - nor to report it when or how other people think he should.

[davemclaren]

2 minutes ago, Barack said:

Mr. Levein just been live on SKY, discussing the weekend.  

 

Isma, almost inevitably, was raised. 

 

Said he was slightly embarrassed Isma felt he couldn’t talk to him about it, and he said that’s on him(Levein) & that he will speak to the players today , & fully support any player that makes any allegations along those lines. Adding that the club will do its upmost to stamp out. Again he reiterated he’s embarrassed that perhaps Isma felt he wasn’t approachable, the reporting lines are there for any player, & will work on it personally in future. 

Good to hear.  

[3fingersreid]

6 hours ago, Kiwidoug said:

Havent read this thread.  Too depressing.  I just hope that no other players or staff members at Hearts have encountered any form of discrimination.

 

5 hours ago, Sharky999 said:

 

Let’s  hope they speak out now if they have.

all it takes is one to stand up and be counted.

?

Where does it leave this accusation* if any of our current or indeed past black players say they've never encountered any form of racism whilst at Hearts from the Hearts support, in fact they tell us it was an environment they actually enjoyed and was a place they felt safe in (and for their families). 

 

 

*I'm not denying the allegation happened but I've not heard any racist shouts in the old or new main stand in the years I've sat there .

[jr ewing]

So has CL heard it?

[Don Dan]

13 minutes ago, Mollo said:

Some of the mindsets on here smack of that old fashioned way of "good grief don't go public, there'll be a bloody outrage"

 

He's not obliged to be quiet - nor to report it when or how other people think he should.

And there lies the problem. He for whatever reason didn’t report it. We need to report these abuses and abusers straight away. History is littered with serial abusers who have gotten away it because they felt they couldn’t report it. Now one person has come forward to say she was abused by Harvey Weinstein and it’s opened the floodgates where many many people were subjected to his predation. Maybe just maybe people should have hightled this abuse and scores of people would have escaped his unwanted advances. Isma should have spoken up straight away. 

[William H. Bonney]

12 minutes ago, jr ewing said:

So has CL heard it?

 

If Craig had heard it I'm pretty sure he would have acted upon it. 

[Coburg Hearts]

22 hours ago, Hearts_fan said:

 

I get white players mixed up all the time, as I'm sure everyone does!

So do I. I try to remember the numbers to make it easier but often get it wrong. In fact, I find it easier to recognise our black players. 

[Homme]

39 minutes ago, Barack said:

Mr. Levein just been live on SKY, discussing the weekend.  

 

Isma, almost inevitably, was raised. 

 

Said he was slightly embarrassed Isma felt he couldn’t talk to him about it, and he said that’s on him(Levein) & that he will speak to the players today , & fully support any player that makes any allegations along those lines. Adding that the club will do its upmost to stamp out. Again he reiterated he’s embarrassed that perhaps Isma felt he wasn’t approachable, the reporting lines are there for any player, & will work on it personally in future. 

 

Good words from CL.

[Zico]

1 hour ago, Mollo said:

Why is it folk seem to think "if you are a victim of abuse - you MUST react EXACTLY as our textbook says you should - otherwise your a dick"?

 

Maybe along his life he's dealt with it by turning away from it, maybe he learnt to shrug it off, perhaps his family didn't want it reported until after they left, perhaps he didn't want the club to be punished at the time, or maybe, just maybe - he dealt with it how he wanted to.

 

I'm shocked that so many folk think he should have handled it by THEIR rules. The fact is he hasn't named anyone, he probably cannot name anyone, he's MENTIONED IT - so what if it's a day after, a week after or a decade after? So what if it's in a newspaper interview?

 

Should victims of child abuse keep quiet 'unless they have proof'? What a terrible mindset.

 

'Beyond all reasonable doubt' - it probably did happen. Loads of us have heard such stuff on terraces. The club reacted the right way, releasing a pro-active response to the general subject - not crying and whining about the man himself being 'naughty for saying so'

Great post. And good to hear CL’s words as well.

 

I’ve been genuinely surprised at the reaction of a lot of posters on here. And not in a good way. 

[Mollo]

28 minutes ago, Dannie Boy said:

And there lies the problem. He for whatever reason didn’t report it. We need to report these abuses and abusers straight away. History is littered with serial abusers who have gotten away it because they felt they couldn’t report it. Now one person has come forward to say she was abused by Harvey Weinstein and it’s opened the floodgates where many many people were subjected to his predation. Maybe just maybe people should have hightled this abuse and scores of people would have escaped his unwanted advances. Isma should have spoken up straight away. 

If only it was that simple. You're looking at it from a logical point of view and leaving emotion out the way. It doesn't work like that.

 

History is also littered with victims explaining their struggle to speak out - I don't see that being mentioned.

 

And the reason is because a lot of folk merely want to make the victims part of the problem. The root cause of Weinstein abusing more and more women wasn't the failure to speak out - it was Weinstein being a predator plain and simple. Granted he could have been caught sooner - but that's not a given. History is also littered with people who DID speak out only to be told to hush up, or being accused of lying, or being victimized more - speaking out isn't as simple as you want it.

[Erik]

3 hours ago, Geoff Kilpatrick said:

To be fair, it is headline news because the player told the media. I don't see this as an anti-Hearts bias.

 

If a current Hearts player, comes out on Monday and claims he was racially abused by Ross County supporters during this weekends fixture - or perhaps more significantly, in the wake of the upcoming Rangers fixture in a couple of weeks time, do you think that the media would be reporting it to the exact very same extent as they are with this?

 

Did the media take Hibs to town over the Skacel refugee stuff which not only involved supporters, but PLAYERS too? Was there any sort of hint as to there being a problem at Hibs which needed addressed?

[tian447]

15 hours ago, GorgieRules22 said:

I don't defend racial abuse but I defend the Hearts support as a whole. I have friends that sit in every stand and not one bit of racial abuse towards a Hearts player. 

 

Seeing as you are the one that got pulled up for having a  xenophobic rant about "The Pole" a number of months ago, I'm starting to have my suspicions about where this sort of abuse might be coming from.

[i8hibsh]

1 hour ago, Section G The Place To Be said:

 

I have a problem with people automatically being seen as guilty on the say so of one person and there being no physical evidence. I think anyone with an ounce of intelligence and fairness will think this way. 

 

In this situation we have a lot of things to consider. 

1. Isma has came out in the media claiming his family had heard racist comments being made about him.

2. Several Fans have said they have heard Isma receive racial abuse.

3. Some More fans have said they have heard racial abuse in general but haven’t said they heard it directly at Isma.

4. We know we have a scum element in our support that does indulge in racism and sectarianism. 

 

Addressing point 1. When a claim of abuse whether it be racial, sexual, physical, mental or religious the accusers word has to always be believed. We know people make false claims and we know many people have used the race card or woman have falsely accused men of rape etc. These are dealt with and these crimes are just as sickening and damaging as if the person had actually carried it out. But as a rule a potential victim has to be believed or no one would ever come forward.

 

Point 2. Several fans have said they heard the abuse directly at ISMA. We can argue as I have and will continue to do so, the rights and wrongs of why it was not reported at the time. We can also agree there will be some mischief making fans that want to sound important on an Internet forum and also factor in the likelihood of there being trouble making trolls and Hibs fans. However several posters that have said they heard it are not in any of those categories and people on here know them quite well and personally from what I can gather. So why would these fans make something up? 

 

Point 3. Very much like point 2 although this group are not saying they heard it directly at ISMA but it adds more weight to the fact racial abuse is still happening and people witness it. 

 

Point 4. Even you have admitted we have fans that do make racist comments and sectarian ones so the likelihood of this being true increases again. 

 

We we can debate and argue many other things about this and maybe we’ll never get the answers, I agree that Isma has went about this quite badly. I have no doubt whatsoever had he approached Ann Budge, who I can testify for, is a very approachable woman and takes matters like this very seriously. She would have given him way above and beyond any support he and his family needed. She with others at the club would also have made it a top priority to find the culprits and take appropriate action and would have also taken steps to try prevent any other incidents. Isma would have known this about the club and about Ann which makes the point in why he didn’t go to the club quite relevant and right to ask. 

 

My my personal opinion on this whole thing and I know some will disagree. 

 

Has there been racial abuse aimed at Isma? Yes I believe something has been said, I do not believe it to be as terrible and disgusting as the media etc are making out but that’s sensationalism for you, anything to get viewers or increase sales. But racism is racism simple as that no matter what was said. 

 

Do I think it was his reason for leaving. No. The club had already decided we were looking for a club to move him on, long before this was known. 

 

 

 

 

 

You are spot on when you say there are a lot of things to consider.  So glad you get this, and to be fair many on here do.  I was one of the first replies to this thread and I used the words “if true” and have been abused for it.  How dare someone just say ok she said it so that will be that.  How dare they!  Some people on here (they know who they are) are so desperate to not come across as anything but progressive, they will sweep aside the fairness of at the very least a private internal inquiry just to not come across as racist.  These are the same people that think ‘LGBTQIAAFR++++ is an ‘inclusive’ community.  These are the people that speak on all our behalves, spend all out taxes by saying’ everyone is welcome’ and speak out against it and they throw every ‘ist’ card going at you.

 

By saying ‘if true’ I left myself 100% open for both outcomes.  I only hope it isn’t true but accept it may be.  I also accept that it may well not be and in some way be a poor use of the ‘race card’.  The cynic in me says the latter and deep down I probably think it is the former.  But in no way shape or form do I accept things at face value when it comes to something as heinous and serious as this.  As much it is heinous to be racist it is heinous to falsely accuse someone of being racist.  Some people on here can’t even accept that it may not be true.  What is fair with this attitude? 

 

Sadly, As I have stated many times, we are in an age where you are guilty by accusation and that stinks on every level to me, and hope that no-one here will be faced with the same closed minded injustice in life.

[...a bit disco]

Hearts boss Craig Levein says he is "embarrassed" and "disgusted" after hearing racist abuse played a major factor in Isma Goncalves' decision to leave the club.

Goncalves left Hearts for Uzbek side Pakhtakor Tashkent last month and has now said racist abuse directed at him from supporters affected the forward and his family to the point he felt it necessary to depart Tynecastle.

The club released a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, laying clear their intention to apologise to the player.

 

Levein says the story came as a surprise and left him feeling ashamed after hearing his player did not feel comfortable enough to reveal his concerns to his boss.

Asked for his reaction to the story, he said: "Various different feelings, I was sad and, in all honesty, slightly embarrassed that Isma didn't feel he could come and talk to me about it.

"That's on me, that is something I need to look at.

"If we have a player who is struggling, and has suffered racial abuse then I need to make it easier for him to come and speak to me.

"That is the first feeling I have got, one of embarrassment, and I will need to look at that.

"If you read the statement you will see how clear Anne (Budge) has been on this.

"Everybody is disgusted by what has happened.

"I have been trying to get a hold of Isma, he will phone me back this afternoon and I'll apologise to him about what has happened.

"I can only reiterate what was said in the statement."

 

The Hearts boss spoke to the Jam Tarts squad on Wednesday and will hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue in greater detail.

Asked if any other players had highlighted the issue after the story broke, Levein said: "Not to this extent, but there have been other issues.

He added: "It is a difficult situation, I will never be in that position and a lot of the time when you are on the touchline you can't hear anything.

"So, I wasn't aware of it.

"What I am really pleased about though is the strength of the statement, it should make anyone in any doubt think comes to the stadium and thinks that they can do this while watching Hearts... it's not going to happen."

 

https://stv.tv/sport/football/1408382-levein-embarrassed-and-disgusted-by-goncalves-abuse/?utm_content=buffer4fb4a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[Sharky999]

1 hour ago, 3fingersreid said:

 

Where does it leave this accusation* if any of our current or indeed past black players say they've never encountered any form of racism whilst at Hearts from the Hearts support, in fact they tell us it was an environment they actually enjoyed and was a place they felt safe in (and for their families). 

 

 

*I'm not denying the allegation happened but I've not heard any racist shouts in the old or new main stand in the years I've sat there .

 

I have, although not recently and not always aimed at black players, players of Eastern European origin have been subject to what I would describe as racist abuse in the past.

 

it is not right, and  it’s not welcome but sadly I think there’s always a fear of reporting it due to either being found out, which there shouldn’t be.

 

i am also very aware of the pc brigade these days, complaining at the drop of a hat.

 

i hope  Isma talks to hearts and let’s them know what was said.

?

[Notts1874]

Asked if any other players had highlighted the issue after the story broke, Levein said: "Not to this extent, but there have been other issues.

 

This line is interesting and concerning at the same time.

[Ray Gin]

2 minutes ago, Notts1874 said:

Asked if any other players had highlighted the issue after the story broke, Levein said: "Not to this extent, but there have been other issues.

 

This line is interesting and concerning at the same time.

 

Puts to bed any theory from the deniers that there is no such issue and Isma was making it all up as an excuse for getting punted.

 

 

[...a bit disco]

5 minutes ago, Notts1874 said:

Asked if any other players had highlighted the issue after the story broke, Levein said: "Not to this extent, but there have been other issues.

 

This line is interesting and concerning at the same time.

 

But, unfortunately, not surprising.

[Brauhauser2012]

Its time to clean house then.

[GorgieRules22]

28 minutes ago, tian447 said:

 

Seeing as you are the one that got pulled up for having a  xenophobic rant about "The Pole" a number of months ago, I'm starting to have my suspicions about where this sort of abuse might be coming from.

I have Polish friends and ran this past them at the time. They have no problem with this, pretty much like saying the Spaniard, the Italian, the Russian and so on.

 

If your saying I'm directing racial abuse at football matches I'll quite happily let you know we're I sit at Tynecastle with my kids and your free to join us one weekend.

 

The offers there.

[Stephen Muddie]

Can somebody fill me in on how this thread has went please? I hope the igorati aren't still denying and deflecting?

 

See this cognitive dissonance? It stops us as humans from evolving and progressing. It's like if you say that the UK is corrupt and fascist.

[Beast Boy]

1 hour ago, Barack said:

Mr. Levein just been live on SKY, discussing the weekend.  

 

Isma, almost inevitably, was raised. 

 

Said he was slightly embarrassed Isma felt he couldn’t talk to him about it, and he said that’s on him(Levein) & that he will speak to the players today , & fully support any player that makes any allegations along those lines. Adding that the club will do its upmost to stamp out. Again he reiterated he’s embarrassed that perhaps Isma felt he wasn’t approachable, the reporting lines are there for any player, & will work on it personally in future. 

 

Handled that very well.

[Bazzas right boot]

4 hours ago, Erik said:

I'm not going to sit here and deny that its happened. That would be somewhat foolish I think.

 

I quite believe that there ARE still a select few people within society who unleash these sorts of comments in public. Is it a Hearts specific problem? Absolutely not. These people exist in all areas of society and can be found wearing the colours of just about every team in the land.

 

And that's where I begin to have the problem with all this. Once again, something at Hearts has been blown up to be national headline news and all of a sudden we're being portrayed as a club / support with a problem which is significantly worse than anyone else. And that's utter horseshit.

 

On a weekly basis, I can just about guarantee there is significantly worse behaviour which comes from followers of certain teams in this country. Week in, week out certain clubs and certain supporters seem utterly immune from criticism.

 

Then this happens and all of a sudden we're all over the front and back pages of the papers.

 

Are there racists and bigots within our support? Most probably, almost certainly.

 

Do Hearts have a problem which is notably worse than any of the other teams in the league? Most probably and almost certainly - NOT.

 

Yip.

 

The media have absolutely wet themselves over this.

 

I also think Isma could have went to the club first, I have no idea why he thinks the media was the correct course of action to go through.

 

 

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

53 minutes ago, Erik said:

 

If a current Hearts player, comes out on Monday and claims he was racially abused by Ross County supporters during this weekends fixture - or perhaps more significantly, in the wake of the upcoming Rangers fixture in a couple of weeks time, do you think that the media would be reporting it to the exact very same extent as they are with this?

 

Did the media take Hibs to town over the Skacel refugee stuff which not only involved supporters, but PLAYERS too? Was there any sort of hint as to there being a problem at Hibs which needed addressed?

On your first question, yes, because the angle would be that racism is endemic in the game.

 

On the second, not to this degree, no. But then the vermin are a small, insignificant team.

[Beast Boy]

21 minutes ago, Notts1874 said:

Asked if any other players had highlighted the issue after the story broke, Levein said: "Not to this extent, but there have been other issues.

 

This line is interesting and concerning at the same time.

 

Totally. 

[Bazzas right boot]

5 hours ago, jambocub said:

Why did no one that heard the racism report it to the club?

Im not saying it never happened just that there is a hotline set up to report matters like this and no one has used it according to the club they've never heard of these incidents until now

There seems to be loads who have heard the racism but no one has thought to report it to the club

 

 

You can't be 100% sure we're the shouts came from, most folk are watching the game.

 

You can hear things but not see them.

 

 

[GorgieRules22]

25 minutes ago, Notts1874 said:

Asked if any other players had highlighted the issue after the story broke, Levein said: "Not to this extent, but there have been other issues.

 

This line is interesting and concerning at the same time.

Other issues which would include fans that have been band and sectarian singing which has been touched on in the past, all matters that were dealt with.

[Notts1874]

Just now, GorgieRules22 said:

Other issues which would include fans that have been band and sectarian singing which has been touched on in the past, all matters that were dealt with.

Have they been dealt with? How do you know what he is talking about? Seems to me he is alluding to other issues that have been brought up by players.

 

[i8hibsh]

16 minutes ago, Stephen Muddie said:

Can somebody fill me in on how this thread has went please? I hope the igorati aren't still denying and deflecting?

 

See this cognitive dissonance? It stops us as humans from evolving and progressing. It's like if you say that the UK is corrupt and fascist.

 

 

You think the UK is fascist?

[Independence]

13 hours ago, communist said:

 

That's fine then, continue making an arse of yourself if you like. 

 

Love the comparison of a 2000+ page to a 15 page thread though, quality.

[Governor Tarkin]

4 minutes ago, i8hibsh said:

 

 

You think the UK is fascist?

 

Nowhere near it, but it is corrupt.

[i8hibsh]

1 minute ago, Governor Tarkin said:

 

Nowhere near it, but it is corrupt.

 

That is better, phew!

 

For a moment I actually thought someone on a social media forum expressing his opinion, living the benefits of a free society, complaining about a government he had a choice to vote in was branding the place fascist.

 

p.s I agree it is corrupt, but no more so than most and indeed less than most.

[jack D and coke]

15 minutes ago, BigDave'sHeed said:

 

 

You can't be 100% sure we're the shouts came from, most folk are watching the game.

 

You can hear things but not see them.

 

 

I can honestly say I haven’t heard anything like that for years and years. I can’t believe somebody would shout something like that loudly in a stadium I honestly can’t. I hear all the sectarian stuff which in itself is cringey and embarrassing enough but I’m shocked that stuff is still being shouted at Tynecastle. At Easter road for example a few months back a lad behind me was giving Jamie Walker absolute pelters and I couldn’t take anymore and turned and told him to stfu and I can’t believe nobody would pull up some arsehole shouting racist bullshit. 

I also agree that why Isma has went the media route now he’s gone has irked me a bit too.