Bratislava. League Two club Preston North have banned a fan from Deepdale Stadium for life after joking on social media about a minute’s silence for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
A supporter of the club posted a post asking if he would be kicked off the pitch for whistling during a minute’s silence, according to the Spanish newspaper Marca.
The decision has been widely criticised in English football, but Preston representatives claim it has been right.
They argued that “the fans crossed the line” and “joined us as a club” with the comment.
“As a football club, we recognise that everyone has the right to freedom of speech and personal opinion. However, in this particular case, the series of tweets that have been published have little or no connection to this football club.
“One particular tweet, which has been deleted, crossed the friendly line and has taken the decision of a team that has taken us as a club to ban access to the stadium,” Preston North explained its decision.
The club added that fans had blocked the club’s permanent accounts. The ban applies to any property entering Preston North, including a shop and a ticket office for handing in tickets for home games and meetings with opponents.
Preston added that he would also inform competing clubs of the order of the aforementioned fans.