League Two English soccer club Stevenage FC said earlier this week they are investigating allegations that women were “asked to lift their tops up to show their bras to female stewards upon entry to The Lamex Stadium.”
The allegations were published in an open letter from a supporters’ group, which claimed:
Several female supporters were asked to lift their tops up to show their bras to female stewards upon entry to The Lamex Stadium. This decision – in the queue in front of other supporters, including men and male stewards – is a gross invasion of privacy. Female supporters have also since contacted us to state they were asked by female stewards if they could feel their bras if they confirmed that they were underwired. The supporters were made to feel uncomfortable and when they replied they would ‘rather not’ they were ‘reluctantly’ let in to the ground.
The team released a statement that read, in part:
No incidents were recorded on the day of any inappropriate behaviour towards female supporters or young spectators. Had such incidents been either reported or flagged up, the issues would have been dealt with immediately.
The club takes these allegations seriously and will both study the CCTV footage and speak to the relevant parties to ensure that no infringements of accepted procedures took place.