YORK CITY goalkeeper Scott Flinders has released a statement after the reasons for his five-match ban for racial abuse were made public.
The Football Association released the written reasons for their decision to find Flinders guilty of racial abuse, which also led to £1,250 fine, another £250 towards the costs of the hearing and mandatory attendance to an FA Education course.
An FA regulatory commission hearing discovered how Flinders had clashed with AFC Wimbledon striker Lyle Taylor during a League Two game in March.
Taylor said he squeezed Flinders' crotch by mistake after trying to pull his shirt during the 71st minute of the game at the Dons' Kingsmeadow ground.
Flinders was said to have asked: “What the **** did you grab my ******** for?”, to which Taylor answered: “Because your missus doesn't, does she?”. Taylor claimed the York stopper then replied: “But she doesn't like your kind.”
The former Hartlepool keeper denied saying the last sentence but admitted he could not remember exactly what he did say to the striker.
After weighing up evidence from both sides, the commission decided it was “more likely than not to have occurred”, describing Flinders as not a “convincing or reliable witness”.
The 30-year-old has returned to training with York after also being suspended by the club and he released a statement on Thursday, saying his comments were “not racially motivated”.
In a statement, the keeper said: “I was extremely disappointed at the outcome of the FA Regulatory Commission Hearing and I have been advised not to comment further, save that I would assure everyone that any comments made by me were 100 per cent most certainly not racially motivated and that will always be my position. My preference is now to y concentrate on my football.”
