Latest News

Specsavers provide silent support for SFA over shameful homophobic and sectarian Facebook posts

|
Image for Specsavers provide silent support for SFA over shameful homophobic and sectarian Facebook posts

Specsavers are standing by the SFA despite the homophobic and sectarian scandal of referee Stephen Brown.

The shamed referee, who made the posts on Facebook in 2010, has now stepped down but for four years officials within the SFA were aware of his opinions and promoted him, some might say fast-tracked, through to Grade One at which point someone decided that Brown’s hate-filled social media posts could create problems.

Predictably there was no reply from the SFA ‘Communications Department’ when VideoCelts contacted them, it seems that a few select publishers and broadcasters plus the Press Association are the only outlets that the SFA will deal with.

Specsavers have sponsored Scotland’s referees for over a decade with their logo carried on the kit of all referees in the SPFL. Last season Brown took charge of a number of fixtures in League One and League Two as well as two Celtic games in the Reserve League.

After making contact with Specsavers, VideoCelts asked:

Have Specsavers been in contact with the SFA over their support and promotion from 2014-2019 of a referee who they knew expressed homophobic and sectarian views on social media?

Are Specsavers comfortable to be associated with the SFA who have expressed no public comment about the homophobic and sectarian social media posts by a match referee in last seasons SPFL lower divisions?

The reply was ‘Specsavers refused to comment’.

It does seem unusual that a major UK firm refuses to comment when presented with the details of homophobic and sectarian comments by someone that they sponsor.

I’d suspect that some Specsavers clients reading this article may feel a little uneasy. Last season incidents involving Scott McKenna, Dolly Menga, Steven MacLean,Darnell Johnson and Ryan Kent against Celtic were all missed by referees supported by Specsavers, all five were given retrospective suspensions by the SFA.

Should Specsavers change their opinion on this matter VideoCelts will be happy to set the record straight.

CLICK HERE for the Daily Mail article highlighting the sectarian and homophobic social media views of Stephen Brown

Share this article

Online and independent- the only way to be. Enjoying instant news access and reaction, following the trends if not an influencer!