The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Pinchbeck United player/boss Ian Dunn is seeking answers from the footballing authorities after claiming his six-year-old son Rupert was verbally abused by a Leicester Nirvana player on Saturday.
Rupert, who was acting as a ball boy during the Knights’ 2-1 loss against Leicester Nirvana, is alleged to have been told to hurry up by Nirvana’s Sam Gent – with the player using two offensive words in the process.
Dunn’s eldest son was left upset by the incident and Gent refused to apologise for his behaviour after being confronted by the Knights chief after the final whistle.
The Pinchbeck boss, a 20-year veteran of non-league football, knows that situations can get heated on the pitch and admits that he’d have let the situation pass if Gent had apologised.
But his behaviour has forced Dunn to send statements to both the Leicestershire and Lincolnshire FA, while the Uhlsport UCL have also been notified.
“I’m no saint myself, I know how football is,” said Dunn. “People can say whatever they want to me, it’s fine.
“I can even understand a player being rude to a ball boy, it happens.
“But for him to say what he did to Rupert, then laugh at both him and my wife Chloe after he’d told me he’d apologise, just isn’t good enough.
“I’d have let it go if he’d have said sorry. Rupert was left upset and wondered what he’d done wrong.
“He knows a little about swear words and was asking questions about what had been said.
“You don’t expect that to happen and it left a really bad taste in my mouth.
“Abuse isn’t acceptable in any form, especially if the person shows no remorse whatsoever.
“Our players heard it, their bench heard it, the crowd heard it. Sadly the referee wasn’t interested.
“But we have statements backing up my complaint and it’s now in the hands of the authorities.”
Next up for Pinchbeck, who are 19th in the table and without a win in any competition since September, is a tough trip to second-placed Quorn on Saturday (3pm).
Dunn added: “It doesn’t get any easier for us. It’s going to be a tough one.
“Quorn are one of the best teams this year, so we need to hope they have an off day and that we play to our absolute highest standard possible.”
