CLIFTONVILLE Football Club has issued a stern warning to supporters for “deeply offensive” social media comments against their new manager Jim Magilton.
Mr Magilton took on the top job at Solitude earlier this month, with former boss Gerard Lyttle also joining him as his assistant.
The club had welcomed the former Ipswich Town boss to take the club forward as Paddy McLaughlin's successor.
In an email to supporters, a club spokesperson has now said that while “healthy discussion” about the appointment of a new manager was to be expected, some of the comments had crossed into “unfounded assertions of a personal nature”.
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The statement read: “Football is an emotional obsession and Cliftonville fans’ passion and love for the Club is something that must always be embraced and harnessed, however we have been disappointed to see that some supporters have crossed the line into deeply offensive territory to the extent that our social media volunteers have been forced to moderate and remove a number of libellous comments.”
Several of the social media posts have now been removed “in order to protect against defamation breaches.”
Advising fans of potential legal consequences by social media companies and others, the fans were reminded of the personal impact of abusive comments.
“While you might think you are targeting one person by making offhand comments – whether in jest or otherwise – please take into consideration that an entire family, including young children, are being stigmatised and affected,” the spokesperson said.
“It goes without saying that this is deeply unfair.”
Calling it “disappointing” the club felt it necessary to make such a request, the statement added that most supporters had been able to discuss Mr Magilton’s appointment amicably “without crossing the line into such territory.”
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Jim Magilton takes over at Cliftonville with Gerard Lyttle alongside
