A man says he was called a “gay c***” and was threatened with assault after he called out alleged homophobic abuse in the Cardiff City away end on Saturday, August 6. Reading led their home match against the Bluebirds 2-1 as it entered the late stages, when fan of 22 years Cennydd Bowles said he heard a supporter in the row behind him loudly call the home side’s goalkeeper a “fu***** fa****”.
“I turned around and told him the term he used was unacceptable,” Cennydd, a 43-year-old heterosexual man and an avid Cardiff away follower, told WalesOnline. “It was over what the fan perceived to be time wasting from the home team. As soon as he said it I just thought I had to turn towards him and say: ‘For God’s sake you can’t say that.’ That then set off a chain of events.
“There were a few words exchanged and a guy sitting on my row then turned towards me and said: ‘What are you doing, there’s no need for this, just leave it out.’ Then I told him that I wasn’t interested in discussing it with him and I just wanted to watch the game. Then he told me if I didn’t shut up he was going to hit me.”
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Seconds later Cennydd said another man behind him, who Cennydd said had “obviously heard what had happened”, called the Reading ‘keeper a “gay c***”. “I had to be consistent so I turned around to that guy and told him his language was unacceptable,” Cennydd continued.
“Then that guy told me I was a gay c*** too. I decided I needed to report it so I went to the closest steward a few rows in front.
“To start with, the steward didn’t take it seriously at all. He said given how long we were to the end of the game it was best to let it go. I asked if the club’s policy was to let homophobic abuse go if it’s close to the end of the game.
“In fairness to the steward he did later tell me he hadn’t heard me properly to begin with. The supervisor in the stand dealt with it very seriously.”
Cennydd said he spoke to the stewards until the final whistle, followed by Reading’s LGBT+ inclusion officer and South Wales Police. It was decided that for Cennydd’s safety he would be escorted out of the home end with Reading fans and onto a bus to the train station.
“There were a lot of witnesses and no-one vocalised any support for what I was saying," Cennydd recalled. “I don’t blame anyone who decided not to call it out too because I know it’s risky in that environment, but I felt it just wasn’t on and that I had to say something. But the only reaction I received was hostility and that was really disappointing.
“I feel really sad about it and angry, especially now with all the effort going into driving this out of the game, it did anger me. The game still has problems with diversity and inclusion and I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a gay or trans fan sitting at a match with that kind of stuff being shouted. I’m not going to let it go unchallenged, because it’s not right if all Cardiff fans do not feel comfortable in a Cardiff away end. I’m not going to let people shout those things and then go home and feel like they’ve got away with it.”
Cennydd has been contacted by Cardiff City’s supporter liaison officer and a club spokesman has told WalesOnline a process has now begun to investigate what occurred. A South Wales Police spokeswoman said the force is aware of the incident and officers are supporting Cennydd, while Thames Valley Police has started its own investigation.
A spokesman for Cardiff City Football Club said: “Cardiff City FC are in direct contact with Mr Bowles and are working with Reading Football Club, Thames Valley Police and South Wales Police over the reported hate crime. The football club is committed to eradicating all forms of discrimination and anti-social behaviour from within our sport and wider society in general, with procedures and disciplinary processes followed wherever possible in accordance with the club's supporters' code of conduct.
“Any supporters who experience or witness any anti-social behaviour, directly or indirectly, should contact us, giving as much detail as possible (including row, seat number and a description of the incident). Using video evidence and stewarding practices, we will do our utmost to identify anti-social individuals and ensure that they are no longer able to attend Cardiff City fixtures and are reported to the Police. We do not consider them supporters of our club. In relation to the reported incident at Reading, we would encourage anybody with further supporting information to contact the club by emailing slo@cardiffcityfc.co.uk or calling 07484 070422.”
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "Thames Valley Police received a report of a hate incident on Saturday that occurred in the away section during the Reading match against Cardiff City. We take reports of this nature very seriously and will work with both clubs and our partners to investigate these allegations. If anyone has any information we would ask that they call 101 or make a report online quoting reference number 43220353060." Reading Football Club has also been contacted for comment.
Cennydd added: “I think you can have all the policies and frameworks in place in the world but unless fans start taking it on themselves to call this out and say we’re not going to accept hearing this then I don’t think we will see great change.”
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