Ex-Premier League footballer found guilty over allegation he made homophobic gesture to fans

No matter how much people abuse you, you must not imply that  they are homosexual as a response

Former Blackburn Rovers striker Colin Kazim-Richards has been found guilty of making a homophobic gesture at a match while playing against one of his previous clubs.

The 27-year-old claimed he was bantering with the crowd when he allegedly made a homophobic gesture towards them while playing against Brighton, a court has heard.

But magistrate Darren Reynolds sitting at Brighton Magistrates' Court, told the footballer they accepted the evidence the four prosecution witnesses had given them.

Kazim-Richards said he was being booed and being called names when he turned around and made a rude gesture behind his back to the crowd to join in with their banter, Brighton Magistrates' Court was told.

He said: 'There were certain voices and certain things which stick in your head. There was this one lady who kept on giving me abuse and kept on doing that.'

Simon Reiz, defending the player, asked him if he reacted in any way. Kazim-Richards demonstrated to the magistrates the sign he had made behind his back and told them: 'I was interacting with the fans.  'I was basically doing what they were doing to me. I was having a bit of banter back.'

Prosecutor Simon Allen told the court that the player had mimicked pulling his shorts down, put his left arm behind his bottom and made a homophobic gesture towards the Brighton and Hove Albion crowd.

He said: 'It seems that the player reacted to this and he mimicked pulling down his shorts and with his left hand behind his back mimicked that he had something in his hand and moved it back and forward.'

Mr Allen said that each time he did this the chants from the crowd grew louder.

But London-born Kazim-Richards, who now plays for Turkish club Bursaspor, said he did not agree with discrimination in 'any shape or form' and told the court he had been an ambassador for the Kick It Out Campaign.

He described himself as a 'flamboyant' player who had interacted with the crowd to 'acknowledge' and 'accept' the banter but that he would never make a homophobic gesture.

Mr Reiz said that hand gestures were made during football matches all the time and that due to Brighton having a large gay community an innocent hand gesture made behind his back had been perceived as being homophobic.

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