Waterford FC have released a statement this afternoon stating their disappointment in being made aware of an allegation of racial abuse directed towards a Shamrock Rovers player.

Talented young star Victor Ozhianvuna was allegedly abused in the warm up to last night’s League of Ireland Men’s Premier Division meeting of Waterford FC and Shamrock Rovers at the RSC.

The Waterford FC statement read:

“We are a community-based football club who pride ourselves on our inclusion and are proud to welcome all to the RSC.

The club take all reports of discrimination incredibly seriously and are fully co-operating with the authorities on the matter.

We stand side by side with the League of Ireland and our supporters in taking a zero-tolerance approach to tackling racism within the game.”

In addition to Wateford’s statement the Football Association of Ireland also issued a statement on Saturday afternoon in which they stated:

“The League of Ireland can confirm that we have been made aware of an alleged incident of racist abuse towards a Shamrock Rovers player last night from a supporter in attendance at their fixture against Waterford in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.

In accordance with FAI regulations on racism and discrimination, an investigation has been opened into the incident and we will work with both Clubs, An Garda Síochána and all relevant stakeholders throughout this process.

The FAI and the League of Ireland condemn any acts of discrimination or racism in our League and have a zero-tolerance policy when dealing with racism in our game towards players or staff, be it on a football pitch, at a stadium or online.”

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