Brentford FC is aware of the sentence handed out to a Steven Green for his use of a racist comment in a video published on social media. Brentford FC has already issued a life ban to this individual, removed his Season Ticket for our new stadium and told him he cannot watch any of our teams play at any venue.

We initially chose not to name the person banned but with his name now in the public domain after the court case and media coverage we can confirm the ban was issued to Mr Green, 39, of Whitton, Middlesex.

It is Club policy to not name those we ban. We have a zero tolerance policy to all forms of discrimination and consider ourselves an inclusive organisation. However, part of that inclusivity is allowing the potential for people to change their views and behave in line with our values.

Rehabilitation is a key facet in what we are trying to achieve and we believe anonymity assists individuals in their attempt to come back in to our family, something in which Mr Green had complied.

We can confirm that Mr Green was employed by the Club on a casual contract for a short period last summer. This was to assist with the security operation at our Farewell Griffin Park tours for supporters. While Mr Green had the relevant qualifications to hold this position, we accept a full background check was not carried out prior to his employment and we have now changed our protocols to prevent anything like this happening in the future.

Mr Green was recommended for the role by another employee and it is acknowledged that this should not have been the basis on which he was employed and that a far more thorough check should have been carried out before he was given the post.

A Club spokesman said: “Brentford FC has stated a commitment to be the most inclusive Club in the country and we will not shy away from that. We took action against Mr Green as soon as we became aware of the video and he has engaged with Kick It Out and Club staff since the ban was issued. We will continue to remove anyone that acts contrary to our values of equality, diversity and inclusion and will not rest in our desire for everyone to feel welcome at our new stadium.

“We accept that a mistake was made in giving Mr Green the position we did and have reviewed our recruitment processes in the past few months. We do believe in rehabilitation but clearly Mr Green’s past transgressions should have been known to us.

“We would like to reiterate that we have a zero-tolerance policy towards discriminatory behaviour of any kind at Brentford FC. It is vital that our community of fans, present and future, understand that we will not tolerate discrimination.”