Farage unwelcome at Ipswich Town FC

Staff and fans of Ipswich Town football club have complained bitterly at an unannounced stunt to promote racist far-right Trump fan Nigel Farage. Farage published a promotional video for his politics filmed as he stood on the Portman Road pitch. The club then had insisted it is “apolitical” and denied “formally” inviting Farage to visit the club, but details that have emerged since refute the denial, showing that:

👉An associate of CEO Mark Ashton sent an invite to Nigel Farage
👉Farage was met by Marcus Nash, director of media and communications
👉Ashton and COO Luke Werhun had lunch with Farage
👉The club gifted Farage SIX ‘Farage 10’ shirts
👉 Employees outside a select few were unaware of the stunt
👉Members of staff have made complaints

This is despite the club claiming they were ‘apolitical’ in a statement made on Wednesday.

Farage’s lunch was provided free – the latest in a long line of freebies provided to the racist bigot by wealthy and often foreign donors. He also failed to declare more than £380,000 in outside earnings within the legally-required timeframe.

Club staff have complained and fans groups have expressed their outrage on social media. Supporters’ group Blue Action accused bosses of letting the club they love be:

egregiously exploited by a political figure for personal gain and those in charge seemingly allowing and even welcoming it … risk[ing] alienating large numbers of the fanbase and fomenting division.

Featured image via the Canary