Shelbourne FC expresses disgust at ‘unsavoury’ protest

SHELBOURNE Football Club has expressed its “disgust and disappointment” at the actions of individuals who were involved in “unsavoury” incidents at Tolka Park on Saturday night.

Shelbourne supporters and invited groups of children and families had been enjoying the final game of the season at Tolka Park and most were unaware of the small protest underway at the Drumcondra end of the pitch.

However, an incident occurred in the final few minutes of Shelbourne’s game against Waterford United as the initially peaceful protest against the club’s planned move to Dalymount Park became more heated.

Flares were hurled onto the pitch by some of the protesters, with one accidentally hitting a Shelbourne player in the foot. Banners were also set alight by a minority, causing damage to seating.

Frightened children and families who were seated in the vicinity of the protesters were forced to leave the stadium before the end of the game as the Garda Public Order Unit moved in to quell the disturbances.

In a statement issued today, Shelbourne FC condemned the actions of some of those involved in the protest.

“Peaceful protest is quite acceptable and it should be noted that club personnel did not intervene in the protest while it remained peaceful,” the statement reads. “However, what occurred on Saturday night placed our players, staff, supporters and – most importantly – our young supporters in danger, as well as causing great distress and upset to many of those young fans attending the game.”

There were more children than usual attending Shelbourne’s final game of the season in what had been billed as a family-friendly event. The club hosted a group of around 100 children who had travelled from Portarlington (Arlington FC), a group of children and adults from the Mosney Direct Provision Centre and a number of families living in emergency accommodation in the local area, in addition to their regular supporters and travelling Waterford Utd fans.

The statement added: “We have worked hard this season to encourage more families to attend matches in Tolka Park and, naturally, that can only occur in an environment where people feel safe. Unfortunately, that was not the case for many of those families on Saturday night.

“We apologise to anyone who felt intimidated or threatened by the behaviour of the protesters. We would also like to commend our stewards and security staff, and the members of An Garda Síochána, who did their best to deal with a difficult situation.

“We are currently reviewing CCTV footage and an investigation into the events has commenced. In due course, we will take the necessary steps to ensure that this kind of incident will not be allowed to happen again.”

The statement concluded: “In the meantime, our ground maintenance staff has begun the work of repairing the damage to the stand and the playing surface at Tolka Park. Finally, we have received numerous messages of support over the past few days, for which we are very grateful.”

The 1895 Trust, a group that represents the interests of Shelbourne FC fans, had earlier issued a statement saying it had no involvement in the organisation or carrying out of the protest on Saturday night.

“While the Trust supports the right of fans to protest at recent events affecting the club, it condemns actions such as almost hitting a player with a flare, albeit accidentally, and the setting alight of banners, which led to a fire hazard and damage to Tolka Park,” their statement reads.