Leeds United’s fractious relationship with their supporters has suffered again after Massimo Cellino’s two sons, both directors of Leeds United, were engaged in a foul-mouthed exchange with fans on social media.
Ercole and Edoardo Cellino hit back at angry supporters who called on their father, the controversial club owner, to leave. Ercole, the club’s director of merchandising according to his Linkedin profile, called one female a “whale” and told her to “stop eating” after she shared a photograph on Instagram. Edoardo, meanwhile, retaliated to a hostile post from a Leeds fan by calling him a “moron” and said “go f*** yourself”.
Edoardo apologised last night for his abusive posts. He said: “I would like to apologise for any offence that I have caused. After receiving a lot of abusive messages my emotions got the better of me and I reacted in a way that was unprofessional.
“I believe the messages were private but I know I should not have done this. I did not fully understand the severity of the words used as English is not my first language.”
“The Time to go Massimo” supporters’ group said last night: “Clearly this story is extremely concerning. As directors of Leeds United, this sort of behaviour is deplorable and unacceptable and would not be tolerated in any other professional environment.”
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An Aston Villa supporter has escaped a football banning order for throwing a cigarette lighter towards a linesman after magistrates heard that he was “emotionally drained” by a 6-0 defeat. Paul Burton, of Birmingham, was fined £120 and ordered to pay £135 costs and a £20 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to throwing a missile on to a football playing area during his team’s 6-0 loss to Liverpool on February 14.
Ash Mistry, for the defence, told Birmingham magistrates’ court that the experience was “draining” and said that Burton, 35, “was emotional and remonstrated”. Magistrates said that they had been considering a banning order but decided against it after accepting that it was a one-off incident.