Woman who shouted racist abuse at footballer handed banning order

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A football fan who screamed racist abuse at a player has been banned from going to matches. Everton season ticket holder Deanna Franklin admitted shouting the racist language towards Burnley's Dwight McNeil during a match at Goodison Park on September 13 last year.

However, she denied being racist when she appeared at Sefton Magistrates’ Court yesterday afternoon (February 15). Franklin, 43, ended up being reported after another fan - who was at the match with his young son - heard her shout the vile abuse, believing it to be directed towards “the Burnley No.11 player”, Dwight McNeil. READ MORE: Tragedy of "bright and considerate" boy, 16, who died just hours after collapsing in church The witness was not named and did not attend court, the Liverpool ECHO reports.

However, in a statement read out by prosecutors he described how he recognised Franklin at the Burnley match, having seen her behave in a “vulgar” way at previous matches.

He said he heard Franklin shout the slur during the first half before he and other fans challenged her, with one saying “you shouldn’t be here”.