The FA is calling on fans to "report sexist abuse at games after being shown disturbing scenes of women officials and staff being subjected to obscene chants," according to the BBC. Footage obtained by the BBC shows Chelsea's female medic Dr. Eva Carneiro and a female assistant referee Helen Byrne "suffering taunts during recent matches." FA board member Heather Rabbatts described the abuse as "horrible." This season, 25 matchday incidents of sexist abuse "have been reported to anti-discrimination campaign group Kick It Out and equality group Women in Football (WiF)." Last season, there were "just two." League Two side Mansfield Town CEO Carolyn Radford said that sexist chanting is a "big problem." When she joined the club at the age of 29 in '11, the headlines were about her "blonde hair and looks rather than her university and legal qualifications." Radford: "I've had fans chanting abuse at me. It's hurtful" (BBC, 3/5).
LAWWELL NOT IN FAVOR: STV reported Scottish Premiership side Celtic CEO Peter Lawwell does not believe Scottish football should adopt UEFA's standard of "strict liability" to deal with supporters who are involved in offensive behavior at games. Groups including Nil by Mouth have called on the nation's 42 senior sides to "adopt stricter rules." At present, the rules of the Scottish Professional Football League "only require clubs to prove they have taken sufficient preventative measures" to discourage sectarian, racist or other offensive behavior by supporters. Lawwell defended the reputation of his club's supporters and said that they are "working hard to weed out any troublemakers." He said, "My own view is no, I would not bring it in at all. I think it is very strict and can be seen to go against justice rather than to support justice" (STV, 3/5).
