A children's football coach in Belfast has been permanently removed from his position after posting what appeared to be a cocaine price menu in a WhatsApp group chat. The Belfast club called the behavior "completely unacceptable" and acted immediately.
The deleted message detailed prices for what was described as "proper pure bags", included payment instructions, designated collection points, and contained the warning: «time wasters will be blocked». The post appeared on Wednesday in a WhatsApp group comprising approximately 400 coaches from 300 grassroots teams across Northern Ireland.
The group chat was used by coaches to arrange match fixtures and organize team availability. No children were part of the conversation or exposed to the exchange.
Club and League Response
The Belfast football club issued a social media statement confirming the coach's immediate dismissal. «The coach involved has been permanently removed with immediate effect», the club stated.
The club emphasized its commitment to child welfare. «As a community club, we pride ourselves on putting the best interests of our players first», the statement read. The club added: «We can confirm that all appropriate vetting procedures were followed in accordance with IFA guidelines, and this situation has come as a shock to all of us.»
The Fonacab Development League, which manages the WhatsApp group, activated safeguarding procedures following the incident. A league spokesperson told the Belfast Telegraph: «We have already informed the relevant club from west Belfast involved and our safeguarding procedures have been activated, with the coach removed from the fixtures group. The matter is now being dealt through the appropriate channels.»
The league acknowledged in a social media statement that it could not monitor every message within the group. «However, we do have clear expectations of behaviour, and any conduct that breaches safeguarding or professionalism will be addressed immediately», the statement read. «Our responsibility is to protect the wellbeing of every child and uphold the values the league is built on.»
The club confirmed that all vetting procedures had followed Irish Football Association guidelines prior to the incident. According to Northern Ireland's health department substance misuse database, almost half of those consuming illegal drugs in the region use cocaine.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
