An alleged race row has been reported between football fans at a boys’ Sunday league cup final.

It is believed a 17-year-old was left with an eye injury after a match between Meopham Colts and Lordswood Youth.

The teams were playing in the Medway Messenger Youth League’s under-16 League Cup final, which Meopham won, at Sheppey United’s ground at Holm Park, Sheerness, on Sunday.

Police have confirmed they are investigating a “disturbance” but there have also been allegations of racial abuse.

“It’s a difficult one but what I would like to think is the manager of that team would do the right thing not just by his team and by the poor kid that suffered the abuse, but by football” - Dartford FC goal keeper Jason Brown

Some of those at the match claim that after a trophy presentation ceremony, it is believed the spectator brother of a black Meopham player was racially abused.

A fracas then erupted, said to involve a man and a woman alledgedly attacking the lad and leaving him with facial injuries including a bleeding mouth. The police were called but the pair had left the scene.

A police spokeswoman said: “Officers were called to a report of a disturbance at a sports club in Queenborough Road, Halfway, at 12.05pm on Sunday, April 19 and are meeting with the victims to discuss later this week.”

Keith Waters, president of Meopham Colts, was at the match but said he did not want to go into detail about the alleged incident at this stage.

He said: “It was very unpleasant and I was absolutely disgusted by the whole incident. I heard screaming and saw the kid on the floor but I did not actually see him get hit.”

Dartford FC goal keeper Jason Brown, who was subjected to racial abuse when playing in goal for The Darts away to Bristol Rovers earlier this season, said that if young players suffered racism, it was down to clubs and parents to report it.

Rovers supporter John Wild was handed a three-year order banning him from going to games and was ordered to carry out 12 months’ community service and pay compensation to Brown as well as court fees by magistrates.

When asked if he believed clubs, including youth teams, should be punished whenever there was an example of racial abuse by a supporter or player, Mr Brown said it was not that straightforward.

He said the best route was to report the incident to the right authorities as soon as possible.

He said: “It’s difficult because you have one ignorant person that attends a game and then everyone is punished.

“It’s a difficult one but what I would like to think is the manager of that team would do the right thing not just by his team and by the poor kid that suffered the abuse, but by football.”

Mr Brown, who also suffered racial abuse while playing for Aberdeen, said that racism was an issue that spread wider than the world of football.

He said: “I think it’s a problem in society.”

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