The Football Association recently made the club aware of historical public communications by current Bury FC player Charlie Doyle in 2019, which contravened rules E3 and E3.2 as set out within the FA for All: Grassroots Disciplinary Guide.
The comments made were on the social media platform Twitter, and these comments triggered a breach of the rule regarding ‘improper conduct aggravated by a person’s sexual orientation or disability’.
The charge was raised directly with the player and Charlie was asked to respond to the charge in late 2023. The club have assisted Charlie throughout the process.
The penalty for this charge is listed as a ‘6-12 game suspension’. The FA include the below list of mitigating factors under this charge when considering applying action:
- How long ago the offence took place
- Age of the participant
- The intention to cause distress / offence
Following review of the information, Charlie responded to the charge by pleading guilty last month, and his hearing was held on Wednesday evening.
On the basis the player pleaded guilty and considering the presented mitigating factors, the FA have handed Charlie Doyle a six-match suspension with three of these suspended for 12 months.
Providing the player is not charged or found proven of a similar offence within a 12-month period, the additional suspension period will not apply.
Charlie has offered the following statement to supporters in response to this verdict:
“I want to assure supporters that my actions from over five years ago are not representative of the person I am today. I am a different person from that period in my life, for many reasons, and this is reflective of my approach to my life, my work and my football.
“I regret fully the comments made. They do not reflect my current views and my attitude to the issues raised have altered significantly, very much as a result of the ever-changing and ultimately more inclusive world we live in.
“I have accepted the charge and the punishment handed down by the disciplinary committee this week and will use the time to focus my energy in supporting the team from the sidelines and being ready for the run-in.”
Manager Dave McNabb has also offered his comments following Charlie’s verdict:
“Having worked with Charlie before at previous clubs and now here at Bury, I know his character and his personality. He is a great lad to have around and by both acknowledging and accepting his involvement during this charge process, he has shown great maturity.
“We are pleased that the committee have recognised this maturity when considering the level of punishment. Whilst disappointed that we will miss him from our squad for a couple of weeks, we will hopefully look forward to a fresh and raring-to-go Charlie Doyle for the remainder of the season.”
These sanctions are applied with immediate effect and Charlie will be unavailable for the next three Bury games, starting with our trip to the Isle of Man this weekend.
