Danny Cowley Praises Gillingham Response Following Alleged Racist Abuse Incident

Colchester United head coach Danny Cowley has commended Gillingham Football Club and one of their supporters for their response to an allegation of racist abuse during Monday night’s League Two fixture between the two sides.

Cowley revealed that Colchester winger Owura Edwards was allegedly subjected to racist abuse during the 1–1 draw at Priestfield Stadium. The incident was reportedly brought to the attention of the authorities by a Gillingham supporter seated near the individual accused.

Speaking after the match, Cowley confirmed that police had taken swift action following the report.

“The police have just come to speak to me – one of their supporters has been arrested for racial abuse,” Cowley said. “I want to credit Gillingham Football Club because it was actually another one of their supporters, sitting behind him, who highlighted what was said. As a result of that, the individual was arrested.”

The Colchester head coach said the actions of the supporter who reported the incident restored some of his faith in football environments, which can too often be overshadowed by negative behaviour.

“Sometimes, in and around football, you can see the worst in society,” he added. “But this does give me some faith. It would be easy for supporters to look only after their own, but instead someone stood up and did the right thing.”

The match itself ended in controversy, with players and staff from both teams involved in a heated confrontation at the final whistle. However, Cowley made it clear he preferred to focus on the positive actions taken in response to the alleged abuse rather than the post-match altercation.

“I would rather celebrate the fact that someone stood up against racism than talk about a melee that was simply a group of men getting overheated while fighting for their team,” he said. “We never want to see racism in society, and we all have a responsibility to challenge it when it happens.”

Kent Police have been contacted for comment regarding the incident.