Statement from the London Clarets on the life bans

This follows on from the press release issued by the Clarets Independent Supporters Association on the same subject. Clarets Mad are also fully supportive of the club in their actions, particularly with those banned for racist abuse. We are delighted to add the London Clarets' statement.

We, as a supporters club, welcome the actions of Burnley Football Club in banning supporters convicted in court of football related offences. Whether for violent or threatening behaviour or for racist abuse the behaviour is not acceptable, and it is good to see the club taking a strong stance.

For some time now members of this supporters club have questioned the club's commitment to the anti-racism campaign, because we have heard racist shouts and chants at games and seen very little action.

Only two of the nineteen recently banned were for racist abuse, but at least it shows that the club are willing to act. Perhaps those that normally stay quiet whilst racist abuse goes on will start to complain and we will see more bans for racism coming into force. The end result should be that Turf Moor becomes a better place for EVERYONE to watch football.

There has been some concern expressed by our members that all offences are treated with equal severity. It is questionable, for example, whether drunkenness, or invading the pitch, merit the same punishment as racism and violence. While we support the stance of Burnley Football Club with regard to racist and violent behaviour, we would not like to see genuine fans excluded for life for less serious offences. We look forward to having an opportunity to discuss this with Barry Kilby at our forthcoming AGM.

Please note that we will be putting forward a resolution to our AGM in July that any supporter banned from Turf Moor will not be allowed to be a member of the London Clarets.