Scottish pro-basketball side's disgust as three teammates are forced out of homes over racist abuse

Glasgow Rocks said the trio had been threatened, referred to as "monkeys", while calls were made to the police claiming they had prostitutes at their property in Barmulloch.

Their car was also attacked, with the windscreen smashed and tyres slashed, with Glasgow Rocks stating there is "little that can be done in terms of prosecution" due to a lack of hard evidence.

The police were alerted to the issues in October but so far no arrests have been made.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We have been made aware of offensive communication and enquiries into the matter are ongoing."

Julius van Sauers, from the Netherlands, who moved to Scotland after signing with the club last September said he was "disgusted" and "very upset" when the incidents occurred in October last year.

He and French players Marc Kwedi and David Mpondo had to move flats after their car was attacked and racist language used in complaints about them.

It began with noise complaints to police while the Glasgow Rocks office had 15 calls in one day about issues.  

Glasgow Rocks confirmed the players have moved to another property, where they have not encountered further issues.

Mr van Sauers said: "We have never heard these words before.  We knew they were complaining but we had no idea that maybe this was an racial issue."

He said when the complaints were made police acted "very fast" adding that officers came into the house to look.

"At the end of the day we are three black men, so we just want to stay out of trouble," he added.  "So when the police knock, we are very aware."

From left Marc Kwedi. David Mpondo, and Julius van Sauers. Source: Glasgow Rocks

"I just didn't want to let it hurt me," said Mr van Sauers.

"So we kept moving forward as professional athletes but I do think of it.

"It wasn't a fun time - it's not nice to feel unsafe or not feel welcomed."

The Glasgow Rocks confirmed that the players have moved to another property, where they have not encountered further issues.

The team said: "Glasgow and Scotland are wonderful places to live and grow. It is, however a place that is not immune from racism.

"We are deeply saddened to report that the organisation and our players have encountered this first hand this year, when David Mpondo, Julius Van Sauers and Marc Kwedi were the victim of racist abuse within weeks of joining the club at the start of the season.

"They were threatened, referred to as 'monkeys' and made to feel watched and unwelcome and were harrassed with neighbours' calls to the police claiming that they had prostitutes in their property.

"The incidents eventually spiralled into their car being attacked and their tyres being slashed along with the windscreen being smashed by a hammer.

"As it is was a police incident the club have held off speaking about this. Unfortunately, we do not have any hard evidence of who attacked the car therefore there is little that can be done in terms of prosecution. "However, we feel like the least we can do is draw attention to the incidents that have occurred.

"Racism is not something that is a distant problem. It is in Glasgow, it is in Scotland and it is and can be everywhere.

"We are happy to report that the players have since been moved to another property where they have encountered no further disturbances.

"It goes without saying how deeply saddened we are that this was their first experience of Glasgow."

A host of BBL clubs posted their support too, with London Lions posting: "Unacceptable. We stand with the @rocksglasgow in the fight against racism."

In a tweet, the British Basketball League said: "We were appalled to learn of the abhorrent racist abuse levelled at these players. As a league, we fully support and stand with all in our community in the fight against racism."

Vince Macaulay, head coach of the London Lions said: “The disgusting act we have seen the Glasgow Rocks players face highlights the fact that racism is still very apparent in UK sport today. As an urgent priority the industry needs to stand together to tackle the problem head on and ensure it is eliminated from today’s player and fan experiences.

“Sporting culture should be defined by diversity and inclusiveness, and events such as these indicate we have a long way to go until this is achieved. Our thoughts are with Julius Van Sauers, Marc Kwedi, David Mpondo and the families affected.”

Sean Skelly, Glasgow Rocks' general manager, said he was deeply saddened and embarrassed by the incident.

"The guys were barely in the country at that point - they had only been in a matter of weeks," he said.

"Also, bear in mind they hadn't been allowed to go out and see a lot of people, so this was pretty much their first encounter with Glaswegians.

"It was embarrassing and in my head I'm thinking 'oh my god are these people going to think this is Glasgow, this is Scotland, this is a problem that we have here?', and obviously it is."