Source: FOOTYMAD
City Issue Safety Review Statement
Statement Issued Coventry City have tonight issued the following statement following a review meeting of two incidents on Saturday. "The unsavoury incident in the corner block 16 was sparked off by a problem between a supporter and police officers and was totally unrelated to any other events," Paul Clouting said in an official statement. "Chief Inspector Kerry Blakeman of West Midlands Police has told me that what happened in block 16 had nothing to do with any other incident in the ground and was not linked to any banner waving in the Coventry Telegraph stand. "On the totally separate subject of banners, we had a meeting with our Supporters Consultative Group on Friday. "We explained our policy that all banners have to meet with regulations and have to be fire retardant. For instance, all of the Derby banners on show on Saturday had been cleared in advance for admission into the game. That is a rule frequently applied in the Football League. "We are publishing our guidelines on our website so that supporters can be clear about what is allowed and we have communicated it across other channels. "Obviously there are limits when it comes to the use of appropriate language on any banner and that was not the issue here - it is a matter of safety rather than content matter. "The SCG, which is made up of representatives of different supporters' groups, will also be feeding that back to their respective members. "The banner in the north stand behind the goal was clearly homemade and had not been allowed in under the regulations - that was the motivation for taking possession. "Everyone regrets the scenes witnessed on Saturday and, frankly, they do not help the team. "Andy Thorn was plain after the match that the players had been distracted by what was going on in the stands and that it did not help his side on an afternoon when they achieved a notable win."
