Atherstone Town manager resigns following alleged racist abuse directed at Stafford goalkeeper
A non-league manager has resigned after alleged racist abuse was directed at Stafford Town's goalkeeper.
The Midland League Division One fixture between Atherstone Town and Stafford was halted mid-game on Saturday after officials were made aware of reported racial abuse targeted at Samuel Amedu.
Manager Scott Rickards and secretary Dave Turner resigned after the game.
It follows two complaints of racist abuse from Atherstone fans at their FA Vase fixture with Worcester City last week.
Rickards told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire: "I've got black players who play for my team - where do I stand morally and ethically if I say let's just deal with that person and move on?
"Instantly the club made a statement about dealing with the individuals, and I made my stance along with my assistant.
"When a club has a stigma attached to it and you're at the helm as the manager, if I go and support that where does that leave me as a coach and a manager?
"There were some racism allegations made by staff of Worcester City after the first leg of our FA Vase game recently, but the club wasn't able to find evidence that it was true.
"We don't manage football games to be abused, whether racially, verbally or physically - it shouldn't be part of football full stop, let alone at our level."
Both clubs have condemned the incident and Atherstone released a statement ensuring that the fans responsible have been identified and "will now face lifetime bans."
