NORTHERN IRELAND footballer Corry Evans has issued an apology after a tweet on his wife’s Twitter account branded a referee a ‘Romanian gypsy c***’.
Lisa Evans has also taken to Twitter herself to apologise for the shocking tweet on her account.
The post appeared following Northern Ireland’s 1-0 World Cup playoff first leg defeat to Switzerland, during which Evans was harshly penalised for handball in the penalty box by Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan.
The tweet – since deleted – read: “Romanian gypsy c***!!! And to actually think Northern Ireland has probably homed one of his smelly relatives!! Ungrateful t***!! Anyway onwards and upwards #GAWA”
The tweet has since been deleted (Image: Twitter / Lisa_H9)Replays showed the ball hit Evans’ back but Hategan awarded a penalty, from which Ricardo Rodriguez scored the only goal at Windsor Park.
The result leaves Northern Ireland facing an uphill task to qualify for the World Cup.
Following the outburst on his wife’s Twitter account, Corry Evans issued an apology today through the Irish FA.
“On behalf of my wife, I would like to apologise unreservedly for the content and language contained in the Tweet that she issued last night,” said Evans, who plays his club football with Blackburn Rovers.
“The comments were published in the heat of the moment and are not representative of her views.”
Mrs Evans has also posted on Twitter, apologising for the 'unacceptable' outburst.
She said: "I should have never have let my emotions take over. I would never condone racism in any way."
I would like to sincerely apologise to anyone I offended for the language contained in my tweet, I understand it was completely unacceptable, I should have never have let my emotions take over. I would never condone racism in any way.
— Lisa Evans (@Lisa_H9) November 10, 2017
In a statement to The Irish Post, Traveller Movement Chief Executive Yvonne MacNamara revealed the organisation is working hard to combat the ‘vile’ abuse aimed at Travellers on social media.
“Gypsies and Travellers are often the target of the most vile social media abuse and this is precisely why we have just published a short video showing people how to report racist social media comments,” said Ms McNamara.
Our latest research, The Last Acceptable Form of Racism, found that 77 per cent of Gypsies and Travellers have experienced hate speech or a hate crime. This is far too common and often goes unchallenged.
“Until robust action is taken against those who choose to openly target these ethnic groups, the prejudice Gypsies and Travellers face will continue to be seen as acceptable.”
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