A WEST Belfast football club is calling on local football authorities to intervene and send representatives to future games after it claimed its players were subjected to sectarian abuse during and after a match in East Belfast.
Immaculata FC claim that players were abused by fans of East Belfast FC who called them 'Fenian b******s'.
The Grosvenor Road club maintain that abuse was directed at one player and continued after East Belfast FC scored a last minute goal to win the game on Saturday.
In a statement the club said: "Throughout the game there were numerous threats to one individual player that they 'would get him done'. After East Belfast scored in the last minute, our players and staff were subjected to sectarian abuse with their supporters invading the pitch to taunt our players.
'Then, a series of altercations had broken out resulting in various players and staff being assaulted. As we left the pitch the abhorrent sectarian abuse continued when we were repeatedly called 'Fenian b******s'."
A spokesperson for Immaculata confirmed to the Andersonstown News that the club are in the process of reporting the incident to the Northern Amateur Football League and Irish Football Association.
The club statement continued: "We are only concerned for the safety of our players and management who are volunteers. Our motivations are not aimed at East Belfast receiving punishment but we feel something needs to be done to prevent this ever happening again. We are imploring the league to send a representative to future games to ensure that an incident like this doesn't reoccur and no-one is seriously injured.
"We turned up to play a game of football and had players assaulted and abused as East Belfast fans on the sideline invaded the pitch."
"We will await a response from the relevant authorities before making any further comment."
East Belfast FC have denied all allegations against them, stating: "East Belfast FC are a club open to those from any and all religious, social, community and racial backgrounds without discrimination. We are proud of our work in this regard and these ridiculous claims, whilst being treated with the contempt they deserve, will nevertheless be robustly contested in the appropriate forum."
