Guest sparked football awards walkout for sickening comments

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Ex-barrister Bill Copeland sparked a walkout at the Scottish Football Writers' Association (SFWA) awards due to "sickening" comments he allegedly made.

BBC Sport presenter, Eilidh Barbour, walked out of the event, and she alleged to the Telegraph: "There were comments about the room smelling of 'fake bake'. Women who wanted to go and touch up their make-up were told that Alex Salmond had been spotted in the foyer and that he would love to do it.

"There were comments about how a man knew if he had f***** a woman from Paisley because his d*** would start to itch. After I left, there was a slew of homophobic and racist comments." According to the DailyMail, a representative for Copeland has since apologised and has been dropped by his agency.

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There were also claims the lawyer used the word 'p***' while joking about his own father being homophobic, and 'n**' allegedly over Celtic signing three Japanese players in January.

In a statement, the SFWA said: "The Scottish Football Writers' Association apologises to anyone offended or upset by material from one of our after-dinner speakers at last night's annual awards dinner.

"We have agreed unanimously that this will act as a catalyst to review and improve the format of our future events to make it an enjoyable and inspirational event for all."

Kick It Out and Women In Football, in a joint statement, said: "We have been made aware of sexist, racist and homophobic remarks made at the Scottish Football Writers' Awards last night, during an after-dinner speech.

"Women face sexism and misogyny in society, and this is often exacerbated when they play a role in football and other sports - whether they're a player, a pundit or a fan. That must change.

"Racism and homophobia continue to be a stain on the game, and we must continue to challenge it and eradicate it. There is no place for any form of discrimination, in sport or anywhere else."

"We acknowledge the apology issued by the Scottish Football Writers' Association and look forward to their promised review of future events. In the meantime, we will be reaching out to understand the full details and offer our support to those affected."

Daily Star Sport has approached Speakers Scotland, where Copeland is listed, for a response.

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