Carlisle United Director and sponsor steps down

 

Bell, one of Carlisle's main sponsors, issued a public apology on Wednesday after claiming inflammatory comments posted about the Hillsborough disaster on his Twitter account had been made by hackers.

Bell insisted he was the victim of sabotage, but accepted full responsibility for failing to ensure his account was secure and is understood to have asked Twitter to investigate.

Bell said in a statement on the club's official website: "I have made the difficult decision to step down from my role as vice-president of Carlisle United Football Club.

"I have always had the best intentions for the club and it appears that severing ties will help preserve the positive reputation that Carlisle United have forged in the local and wider community.

"When the 2015/16 season finishes, I will no longer sponsor Carlisle United in any commercial capacity, something which has been discussed and agreed with the chairman.

"However, I will continue to be a Carlisle United fan for the rest of my life and wish them nothing but the best as a supporter.

"I've enjoyed sponsoring the club during the past five years, through good times and bad. One of the proudest days of my life was seeing the United team playing with my business emblazoned on the shirt.

"I'd like to thank Andrew Jenkins for giving me an honorary position at Carlisle United FC and for the opportunity to help my local club

"It's been a fantastic five years and I look forward to now watching them from the terraces."

The tweets, which made reference to people chasing "compo" and to the 1985 Heysel disaster, were posted on Bell's account, @andycouk, hours after a jury at the Hillsborough Inquest had ruled the 96 people who had died in the 1989 disaster had been unlawfully killed.

Bell said in a statement published by the Carlisle News & Star on Wednesday: "I would like to reiterate that these tweets came about as a result of my Twitter account being hacked on Tuesday.

"I access several different Twitter accounts through various platforms and somebody has attempted to slur my name in the process."

Bell added: "Nevertheless, I accept that my Twitter account should not have been compromised and I take full responsibility for failing to make sure it was correctly secured to avoid being hacked."

LK