Yeovil Town director Stephen Allinson has provided the official response to the allegations made by Bristol Rovers striker Junior Agogo last week relating to racism "from all angles" in the meeting between the two clubs at Huish Park in February 2005. The allegations were made on an HTV sports programme and were allowed to go out unedited despite the slanderous nature of Agogo's comments.
In an interview that is on the subscription-only Glovers World part of the Official Website, Stephen says that the club have revisited both the match referee's report and the stadium's safety officer report and neither make mention of any alleged or witnessed account of racism. He also met with a number of players who were on the pitch with Agogo during the game, and that line of enquiry has also drawn a blank.
Separately, BBC Bristol reporter, Geoff Twentyman, a well known Rovers supporter who was working at the ground that day, has told listeners on his show that he could not recall any such taunts being made. Rovers chairman Geoff Dunford has also confirmed that he has received no complaints from Agogo regarding the matter.
It seems likely that Agogo has either fabricated the incident entirely, or has taken some of the banter coming from the Westland Stand concerning his acquittal from a courtroom trial at Sheffield Crowd Court to be racially motivated, although none of the chanting even remotely contained any such language. The fact that his own Chairman has significantly distanced himself from the allegations and has made it clear that he regards them as Agogo's personal views and not those of Bristol Rovers Football Club says it all.
Stephen has indicated that HTV will be allowing the Glovers air-time at the start of this Thursday night's show to allow Yeovil Town Football Club a proper chance to redress the balance concerning what was aired on last week's programme. HTV have been flooded by messages of complaint following their decision to broadcast the interview, although Stephen claimed that the Glovers had no axe to grind with the show.
Ciderspace hopes that Stephen's interview will be made available to a wider audience so that his excellent and measured response to the situation can reach the same audience that the original allegations reached, thus allowing the (lack of) truth behind the allegations to be firmly established.
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19 December 2005 : 
