Ross County: Fan has been cleared of racially abusing Jeando Fuchs

Ross County have said investigations into the alleged abuse of Dundee United’s Jeando Fuchs have come to the conclusion that no racist abuse took place.

United player Fuchs raised a complaint about abuse from the away fans after celebrating his side’s first-half goal in the 1-0 home win at Tannadice earlier this month.

County insisted from the start that Fuchs had not been racially abused and that witnesses from United and Ross County had backed up that version of events. The club had also criticised United manager Tam Courts for approaching the County support holding up a Show Racism The Red Card shirt.

Both clubs investigated the incident themselves and County say they have now been told by Police Scotland that there is no evidence to support Fuchs’ claim.

A statement from Ross County chief executive Stephen Ferguson read: “An extensive investigation has been concluded by all parties around the events of our match at Tannadice on October 2, 2021, where there was a suggestion of racist language being used by a Ross County supporter.

“We have received confirmation from the authorities that there was no evidence of racist language being used. We now feel that Ross County and our supporters have been fully exonerated, and we can draw conclusion on this matter.

“Given the nature of the allegation, it was centrally important that a comprehensive and thorough investigation was carried out by the relevant authorities, as Ross County FC sets very high standards in responsibly handling all concerns of hate crime. We would like to re-iterate that any form of hate crime, including racism, has no place in society and must never be accepted in Scottish football.

“A large amount of clear and precise evidence from a significant number of witnesses and sources within the Ross County support and from personnel outwith our club was reviewed by various parties including Police Scotland. A report was then submitted to the SPFL and Scottish FA for their consideration.

“It was made clear from this evidence that absolutely no racist language had been used. The individual who had chanted also came forward during the investigation. His statement was corroborated by sources outwith Ross County that were in attendance.

“I would like to repeat from my initial statement that our club, staff and supporters are extremely disappointed in how we have been portrayed since the match in certain quarters, which has had a negative impact on our public perception. In responding to these allegations, I personally would like to thank our Supporter Liaison Officer and our fans for the composed and responsible manner in which they have conducted themselves since the match and for the collective response and co-operation we have received. I would like to thank the other independent sources and personnel outside of Ross County who contributed to the thorough investigation which has been conducted.

“This has been a challenging time for everybody, we appreciate the need for clubs and officials to support their players. We also feel it is imperative that lessons are learned to ensure that agreed protocols of investigation are carried out going forward.

“We now consider this matter as closed.”