English Chess Federation finds Islamophobia abuse allegations "unfounded"

The Daily Telegraph today reports on the statement issued by the English Chess Federation on the allegations of Islamophobic abuse during the recent tournament in Austria brought by the parents of three young Muslim boys who took part in the competition.

The ECF concludes that after a “thorough” investigation the claims are “unfounded”.

From the paper:

“The father of the three brothers, aged seven, 10 and 13, alleged that they and their mother were bullied and ostracised by some members of the English delegation to a competition in Austria.

“Sohale Rahman claimed that his wife was spat at and that his eldest son was left bleeding after being assaulted in what he described as Islamophobic abuse.

“However, the English Chess Federation (ECF) said after a “thorough” investigation it had concluded that there was no evidence that racism or religious intolerance played any part.

“It said in a statement: The investigation obtained statements from eye-witnesses. It concluded that the allegations of racist or Islamophobic abuse and of a physical attack are unfounded.”

“The ECF takes any charge of racism or religious intolerance extremely seriously and we absolutely condemn discriminatory behaviour of any kind.The ECF is also committed to the safety of all competitors who take part in tournaments at home and abroad.”

The ECF statement can be found here.