Source: Telegraph
Eleven charged over Sol Campbell chants during PortsmouthSpurs clash
They were arrested in connection with alleged racist and homophobic chanting towards Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell. [LNB]The charges come as Spurs and police prepare for the visit of Portsmouth, to White Hart Lane on Sunday, when new Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp and striker Jermain Defoe face their former club. [LNB]The 11 have been bailed by police to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on January 20. A Hampshire police spokeswoman said a further five men captured in photographs taken at the game and circulated were still being sought. [LNB]Those charged are Dean Nelson, 23, Bradley Barnes, 35, Oliver Silvester, 28, Stuart Turner, 34, Richard Allen Gibbs, 35, Ian Trow, 48, Keith Stevens, 54, and Joe Turner. The three youths charged were a 15-year-old from Winchmore Hill, north London, a 15-year-old from Purley, Surrey, and a 13-year-old from Deans Hanger, Milton Keynes. [LNB]The police spokeswoman added no further action would be taken against another man, aged 18, from Essex. [LNB]The Football Association have been keen to stamp out such abuse; after the alleged incident at Fratton Park in September, Adrian Bevington, the FA's director of communication, said indecent abuse was 'disgusting, and vile – whether it is homophobic or racist. [LNB]'Any abuse of that nature is simply not acceptable. We have to have a zero tolerance approach to it. [LNB]'The FA, the clubs and the police are working together to identify the individuals. There were hundreds of people shouting abuse at Fratton Park last week and it is very difficult to walk in and try to eject people in that situation. [LNB]'What we have to do now is make sure individuals are identified using CCTV or any other means. They need to be identified, publicly arrested.'[LNB]On Sunday, Spurs will oversee the unusual step of having police cameras inside White Hart Lane, in an attempt to identify those they believe are still unaccounted for. [LNB]Tottenham will increase the number of stewards on duty on Sunday and some, twice the normal number, will wear head-cams. The footage that they shoot will supplement that from CCTV cameras already inside the ground and the special Metropolitan police cameras. [LNB]'We are aware of the previous incidents and an appropriate policing presence will be in place to deal with any problem behaviour which may or may not arise,' said a police spokesman. [LNB]Tottenham will also appeal to the home crowd to render the measures redundant. Harry Redknapp, their manager, who was in charge of Portsmouth in September and who strongly condemned the abuse of Campbell, will speak out before the game and it is expected that he and the Spurs captain, Ledley King, will address the fans in their columns in the match day programme.[LNB]Meanwhile, a supporter who allegedly threw a coin that hit an assistant referee during a Barclays Premier League match was charged with battery on Tuesday. [LNB]The Crown Prosecution Service said there was sufficient evidence to charge the 43-year-old man over the incident, in which Phil Sharp was struck by a 50p coin at Aston Villa's home match with Portsmouth on Oct 18. The man will appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Thursday.[LNB]
