Thug soccer fans who hurled “Irish c**t” insults at Ireland legend Roy Keane have been warned by their club Leicester.
The shock attack against Keano, 49, occurred as Roy worked as a pundit for ITV at Saturday’s Community Shield between Leicester and Man City.
Ex-Ireland captain Keane’s colleague Ian Wright, 57, the former England striker, exposed the abuse when he posted a video online after Leicester won 1-0.
Officials at last season’s FA Cup winners Leicester then responded by vowing to find the culprits.
The club tweeted: “Thank you for not letting this pass @IanWright. We’d welcome your help in identifying those involved so they can be held to account.
“We wholeheartedly condemn all forms of discrimination.”
Wrighty branded the attack against Keane as “disgraceful behaviour” and said: “Where we were doing the punditry from the gantry, some Leicester fans were calling Roy ‘Irish c’.
“They were mouthing the words to me. They know what words they were mouthing to me.”
He added: “You let yourselves down big time. I’m really disappointed on what was a fantastic day for Leicester City fans.
“Those fans in front of those kids, throwing the stuff down, what they were doing, mouthing and shouting what they were shouting, disgraceful behaviour.”
Hundreds of Irish soccer fans used social media to condemn the abuse.
Many of them pointed out that Leicester’s manager Brendan Rodgers, 48, and defender Jonny Evans, 33, are both from Co Antrim, while former Ireland manager Martin O’Neill, 69, is from Co Derry and is one of their most successful managers.
Tom O’Connor wrote: “Roy is a top bloke and he doesn’t deserve that.”
Eamonn Tuohy said: “Fair play to Ian Wright. Well said.”
Eoghie McParland said: “I’d say it was like water off a duck’s back to Roy.”
Wright is vocal about all strands of abuse and spoke out in February past about racial abuse that he got on Twitter from an Irishman.
Patrick O’Brien, 18, of Sycamore Court, Ashleigh Downs, Tralee, Co Kerry, pleaded guilty at Tralee District Court to harassing Mr Wright on May 11, 2020, contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.
Third level student O’Brien also admitted that on the same date, he sent by phone a message that was grossly offensive, obscene and menacing, contrary to the Post Office Act 1951.
O’Brien was given the benefit of the Probation Act and avoided a criminal conviction.
Wright, who said he forgave O’Brien, revealed he was “disappointed” by the outcome and tweeted: “I wasn’t expecting my forgiveness to be an invitation to lighten a sentence.”
