Inverness Caley Thistle chief executive Scot Gardiner lends support to Football v Homophobia campaign: 'My opinion has evolved in the last 15 years because my eyes and mind have been opened'
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Inverness Caledonian Thistle chief executive Scot Gardiner believes campaigns like Football v Homophobia are important because unacceptable abuse is creeping back into the game.
The Football v Homophobia campaign, which takes place every February, is now in its 15th year. Clubs take different approaches in how to mark it, with some wearing branded t-shirts before matches, some putting out social media posts and others organising events to coincide with the month of action.
Caley Thistle's women's team, for example, travelled to Dryburgh Athletic last weekend in what was a fixture dedicated to the campaign in a bid to raise awareness and understanding, in line with the whole of Scottish Women's Football on February 11.
Men's football has traditionally been seen as a less welcoming place than the women's game though, and evidence of that has come from the stands across the UK.
In England, clubs like Brighton and Chelsea are regularly targeted. Football supporters who have been charged with shouting homophobic abuse have been fined and banned from attending matches, and last November English Premier League club Luton Town were even fined £120,000 for discriminatory chanting from their fans.
Closer to home, there have been recent allegations of homophobic abuse in the stands at the Caledonian Stadium too, so it is something ICT's chief executive is conscious of.
"The clock has perhaps turned back unfortunately," Gardiner accepted.
"I don't know why – is it social media that has led to the amount of abuse and bullying that goes on? I'm not technical enough to know what the companies could do or not, but there are clearly issues starting again.
"We see it more in England than we have done in Scotland. I don't know why that is either, but we're certainly seeing more racism and homophobia – even outside of football in all sorts of different things.
"If there's a problem in society, it will rear its head in football, and that includes sectarianism, racism or homophobia.
"Most of these campaigns have worked in the main, particularly in Scotland. Just like drink-driving is unacceptable now, it would be mortifying if someone you loved was found guilty of racism or being homophobic. It would be horrifying.
"That said, it seems to be creeping back in, and therefore everyone has to be vigilant about that – particularly people in positions like mine. I think that's why campaigns like Football v Homophobia are important."
Over recent years, no club has done more than Inverness in the Highlands to promote LGBTQ+ equality.
The rainbow pride flag was flown at the Caledonian Stadium for over a year despite receiving some complaints, and Gardiner attended Highland Pride in 2019 with former manager John Robertson, club staff and mascot Lionel Nessi. Gardiner and Robertson also attended an LGBT+ History Month event in Inverness in 2020.
That said, the chief executive is wary of spamming supporters with appeals for charity and good causes, and he feels the impact becomes diluted if fans are not actively engaging with each campaign.
"There are lots of demands on a football club to support different causes," he explained.
"A huge amount of people think football clubs shouldn't support any causes, and that we should be apolitical.
"We try and do our damndest to be a pillar of the community, and that includes supporting worthy causes within that community.
"We've done a lot of stuff with Highland Hospice, Archie's and Mikeysline, and there are so many worthy causes that it's actually challenging not to pick up too many banners and dilute the whole thing.
"We flew the rainbow flag for over a year at the stadium, and I felt that was important and appropriate. We've had the Ukraine flag for over a year here, and we fly them until they are so ragged that we have to take them down – that doesn't mean we have changed our position on them.
"You just can't do everything, but not doing things like Rainbow Laces doesn't mean you don't support it. You don't want charity fatigue where the message just disappears.
"We're an inclusive club, we're a family club, and one of our hashtags is 'TogetherNess'. That's what we think and how we feel, but lots of people come to us with different things, so it's a challenge."
Gardiner has a personal connection to the LGBTQ+ community, as his business partner outside of football is gay.
While Caley Thistle is not his club to impose views and stances on, Gardiner does say his own personal opinions have evolved through conversations they have had, and living and working in different parts of the UK.
"It has to have an impact," Gardiner reasoned.
"My business partner and his partner are close friends of mine, and in tough moments they are some of the first people that have been there for me.
"It widens your horizons intellectually and emotionally, because you see things that they might have to deal with. My opinion has evolved in the last 10 or 15 years because my eyes and mind have been opened.
"You become aware of difficulties for other people that you didn't necessarily see. You begin to take cognisant that some things aren't as easy for other people as they were for me.
"It's no different for black footballers, and going to London changed my a lot of my thought process. It's a different universe from Scotland.
"In a city like Dundee, where I'm from, you are not exposed to life in its full variety, and when you are exposed to that you have to take cognisance of that and take it on board.
"Going to London, I met people who are black or gay, and just through speaking to them my thought process evolved."
Caley Thistle highlight homophobic abuse alongside racial, sectarian or otherwise discriminatory abuse and chanting as unacceptable conduct on their club's website – meaning that anyone who is caught shouting slurs could be subject to arrest and a lifetime ban from regulated football matches.
In order to act on any issue, though, Gardiner implores anyone who is subject to such abuse to report it immediately, assuring any concerned supporter that it will be dealt with.
"We've got a really strict policy – and that's not window dressing, that's how we feel as a football club," he added.
"We are a safe space for people to come and watch football, whether they are children or disabled, or whoever you are.
"I think our policies are fairly obvious, but we're going to make them more obvious, particularly because conversations have been brought up – which is another thing these campaigns and months do, trigger different conversations.
"Like anything in a football ground, if something happens, you go and speak to a steward.
"We don't expect people to step in, just go to a steward. Our steward bill is enormous every match, because unfortunately there is not a stewards company in Inverness, but they are there for a reason.
"They are not there to stand in a yellow jacket and tick a box for the council. They are trained, and if someone goes to them and says 'this has happened to me', whether that's homophobic or racist or anything else, we would expect them to say 'we're not having this'.
"Some things are against the law. If police action is required, we get them in and we support the police in their investigation. There is no place for that abuse here. It wouldn't happen in society, so why should it happen in a football ground?
"It's funny, because people in a group are completely different. What we've found is that when anything happens and we speak to them on their own after it has been reported to a steward and they have been removed, they are a very different person.
"They say they're sorry, and they get banned for however long they get banned for. We hate banning anyone, but if someone does something that is against the law, they are not coming here to do it.
"The thing is, you can't get people if nothing is reported on the day. If someone comes to me three days, three weeks or three months later, there's nothing I can do about it. It has to happen on the day so that we can log it, and someone can step in.
"We want people to come and have a great time and make noise, but don't abuse people. If you are homophobic, that is a crime in this country and you will be charged. It might feel like a laugh when you're doing it, but it will affect the rest of your life just because you are trying to look smart in front of your mates."
