Jack Simpson has confessed to using a racial slur against his Cardiff team-mate Rohan Luthra during a pre-season tour in Portugal in July. Despite having a year remaining on his contract, Simpson left Cardiff in August. He was subsequently handed a six-game ban and fined £8,000 by the Football Association (FA).
Sky Sports News has learned that the FA does not intend to appeal the six-game suspension imposed on Jack Simpson. The former Cardiff player faced disciplinary action after admitting to directing a racial slur at his team-mate Rohan Luthra. The Independent Regulatory Commission, consisting of three members, decided on the six-game suspension, which falls at the lower end of the available range of six to 12 matches.
Simpson’s contract with Cardiff was terminated in August through “mutual agreement.” In addition to the six-game ban, he was fined £8,000 and received an education order from the FA. The Commission took note of Simpson’s relationship with his girlfriend, who is of Indian heritage, acknowledging his embarrassment and distress at using insulting words linked to his girlfriend’s family history.
The incident occurred during Cardiff’s pre-season tour in Portugal, and Simpson was found to have violated FA rules E3.1 and E3.2. The former rule pertains to abusive language towards a team-mate, while the latter addresses language that constitutes an aggravated breach involving a reference to race and/or color.
Rohan Luthra, the target of the racial slur, made history in 2020 as the first British South Asian goalkeeper to sign a Premier League contract with Crystal Palace. He remains the only goalkeeper from Britain’s South Asian community to have played in the Sky Bet Championship.
Yunus Lunat, the former chair of the FA’s Race Equality Advisory Board, expressed that Jack Simpson received the minimum suspension and emphasized Rohan Luthra’s role as a significant figure for South Asians in English football. Dr. Sunny Luthra, Rohan’s father, condemned racism and hoped the incident would serve as a deterrent against such unacceptable behavior.
Tony Burnett, CEO of Kick It Out, commended the victim’s courage for coming forward and highlighted the importance of education in shifting attitudes. He urged those who experience or witness abuse to report it to Kick It Out.
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