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A Belgian equal opportunities officer has described a tweet posted on Jack Sullivan's Twitter account as "incitement to discrimination".

Patrick Charlier, who according to Belgian-based broadcaster RTBF is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Equal Opportunities spoke out after the Twitter account attributed to Jack Sullivan posted a message regarding the potential purchase of Gent's 26-year-old forward Ilombe Pele Mboyo.

The tweet, posted last Sunday evening, asked whether the club should consider signing a player who, ten years previously, had been convicted of rape. Many fans were subsequently critical of the decision to allow a message of that nature to be published on an account belonging to a minor.

A later tweet from the same source revealed that West Ham fans had voted almost unanimously against signing the player, adding that as a result the club would not be pursuing the transfer.

Charlier however was more concerned with the potential for prejudice. "You could consider this a form of incitement to discrimination," he told RTBF. "This [tweet] is not from the person who is hiring. The manager makes that decision, but it will push people to make a decision."

Further, the RTBF editorial criticised the English media who, they argued, were "not really willing to give a second chance to those who have already paid their debt to society."


They tried to make me go to West Ham...
... but the fans said, "No, no, no."

El Hadji Diouf (2011)
Sam Allardyce ruled out signing the Sengalese spitter two months into the 2011/12 season after Hammers fans reacted furiously to the news that the club were considering signing a player who spat at them whilst a Liverpool player in 2002. Diouf ended up joining Doncaster, who were relegated at the end of the season.

Ben Thatcher (2008)
The former Millwall and Tottenham full-back spent a week on trial with the Hammers during the 2008/09 pre-season, much to the annoyance of fans disgusted that the club should offer an opportunity to a player with such a chequered history. His two brief cameos were met by a chorus of boos and he evetually signed for ipswich Town instead.

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