Plymouth keeper Mike Cooper reports homophobic abuse at Accrington
Plymouth’s goalkeeper Mike Cooper has reported being subjected to homophobic slurs by some home supporters during his side’s League One win at Accrington Stanley.
Cooper posted a message on his Twitter account which was backed up by his club, whilst Stanley have launched an investigation. After his side’s 4-1 win, which sent them to the top of the table, Cooper wrote: “And to the ASFCofficial young fans, homophobic slurs aren’t acceptable.”
Plymouth also described the “consistent homophobic slurs” during the second half of the match, and praised the support of the home club for working to identify the alleged perpetrators.
And to the @ASFCofficial young fans, homophobic slurs aren’t acceptable.
— Mike Cooper (@Mike_coooper) November 13, 2021
Plymouth tweeted: “During the second half of our Sky Bet League One fixture at Accrington Stanley, one of our players reported being subjected to consistent homophobic slurs from a small number of supporters within the stadium.
“Plymouth Argyle condemns this behaviour in the strongest possible terms, and applauds our players for taking a stand in the fight against discrimination. We would also like to thank our colleagues at Accrington Stanley, who have acted swiftly and supportively to begin an investigation to identify the individuals involved.”
Also in a statement, Stanley said they were aware of the alleged abuse and they were “conducting investigations … Stanley prides itself on being an inclusive community club and we will take the appropriate action if required.”