The M.A. Hart Bournemouth Football League is a Respect League and as such will not tolerate any kind of Discriminatory behaviour.
What is Discrimination ?
FA Rule E3.1 sets out various obligations regarding a Participant’s behaviour.
A breach of Rule E3.1 is considered “Misconduct”. Acts of discrimination are considered to be amongst the most serious type of Misconduct which a Participant can commit. For this reason, any act of discrimination is considered to be an “Aggravated Breach” of E3.1. An “Aggravated Breach” is defined as a breach of Rule E3.1, where it includes a reference, whether express or implied, to any one or more of the following: ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality, religion or belief, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, or disability.
In addition to the above, Rule E4 also prohibits any Participant from carrying out any act of victimisation as defined in the Equality Act 2010, or any act of discrimination by reason of ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality, religion or belief, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, disability, age, pregnancy, maternity, marital status, or civil partnership, unless otherwise permitted by law and FA Rules or Regulations.
The FA reserves the right to take disciplinary action against any Participant who engages in discriminatory behaviour of any kind whilst they are or were, a Participant.
The FA reserves the right to charge a Participant engaging in discriminatory behaviour whether or not the Participant seeks to claim either that the discriminatory act/behaviour did not take place in a football setting and/or that the Participant engaging in discriminatory behaviour claims that they had an expectation of privacy when the offence was committed. In the event the Participant claims he or she had a legitimate expectation of privacy, The FA will take into account whether or not such an expectation exists and whether it is legitimate before charging. Where The FA considers that a legitimate expectation does or might exist, it will then take into account the circumstances of the particular case to determine whether such expectation is outweighed by the severity of the offence.
Where The FA believes the offence is particularly serious, including by reference to the language used, The FA reserves the right to charge a Participant notwithstanding the fact that the Participant has or may have a legitimate expectation of privacy. Where The FA does charge in such circumstances, and a Regulatory Commission and/or Appeal Board finds the charge to be proven, any legitimate expectation of privacy may be relevant when assessing the appropriate sanction for the case.
For clarification, this means that the following non-exhaustive list of matters would be subject to FA action:For clarification, this means that the following non-exhaustive list of matters would be subject to FA action:
• Any comment made orally irrespective of who it is said to, or any gesture representing a discriminatory act or theme;
• Text messages, WhatsApp, snapchat, Facebook messenger, email or any other form of electronic communication irrespective of who they are sent to;
• Any form of social media post, whether only visible to a closed group or not;
• Any interview involving any form of media;
• An advertisement on any form of media;
• Anything said or done outside of a club or football context, for example in an individual’s spare time away from everyday employment.The above shall include reposting (including re-tweeting), “liking”, or forwarding a social media post, message or any other type of communication in any forum whether private or not.
It should be noted that the fact that a Participant is liable to face or has pending any other criminal, civil, disciplinary or regulatory proceedings (whether public or private in nature) in relation to the same matter shall not prevent or fetter The FA commencing, conducting and/or concluding proceedings under FA Rules.
A finding of an Aggravated Breach against a Player, Manager or Technical Area Occupant will attract an immediate suspension of between 6 Matches and 12 Matches (“Sanction Range”).2A finding of an Aggravated Breach against a Player, Manager or Technical Area Occupant will attract an immediate suspension of between 6 Matches and 12 Matches
(“Sanction Range”).2A Regulatory Commission shall take all aggravating and mitigating factors into account, including but not limited to those listed in these guidelines when determining the level of sanction within the Sanction Range.
The lowest end of the Sanction Range (i.e. 6 Matches) shall operate as a standard minimum punishment (the “Standard Minimum”).