 Filipe Morais has apologised for the attack |
Hibernian winger Filipe Morais has been fined �500 after admitting kicking a doorman in the head after being "pestered" at an Edinburgh casino. The 23-year-old Portuguese player pled guilty to assault at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday. He got into an argument with Robert Brown on a night out at Maxims casino in York Place on 26 September at about 0530 GMT. Morais, who earns �1,300 a week, has not played for the team since August. Witnesses saw Morais and his companions speaking to Mr Brown and an argument broke out at the casino. Mr Brown was punched in the face and knocked to the ground during a scuffle and Morais kicked his head as he lay on the ground. He suffered a burst nose and a split lip and was treated by the Scottish Ambulance Service. Solicitor George More, defending, said Morais was being "pestered" by Mr Brown and lashed out "in frustration" after being provoked. "Young footballers are quite often harassed or picked on or spoken to when they go out and my client went out that evening for a drink with a friend," said Mr More. "My client kicked out when he was down as an act of frustration because the last part of his evening had been utterly spoiled by these two men. "He was immediately regretful that he had done it." Morais has already been fined �800 by the club for being out the night before a match and is expected to be docked two-weeks wages for the assault, said Mr More. He said Morais had only kicked out once at Mr Brown and had not been responsible for punching him or knocking him down. Sheriff Frank Crowe said he had brought the fine down from �700 because Morais had no previous convictions and had admitted his guilt.  |  I apologise to the supporters and everyone connected with Hibernian |
"There are lots of folk in Edinburgh who look up to people like yourself in the public eye." Another man has also been charged in relation to the incident. Paul Whytock, 26, of Edinburgh, denies two assaults and a breach of the peace and is expected to appear in court again next year. Morais, of Edinburgh, signed for Hibs in July last year and has scored twice in 36 appearances. The winger, who began his career with Chelsea and also had spells at MK Dons, Millwall and St Johnstone, said: "I am very sorry for all that happened and accept my punishment. "I apologise to the supporters and everyone connected with Hibernian. "I have had a good rapport with the supporters. "However, I accept that my behaviour was well below the standards expected by the club. "I can only hope that people will understand that this was totally out of character and will not happen again." Morais has not made a first-team appearance for the Scottish Premier League outfit since 26 August, when the Edinburgh club suffered a surprise 4-3 Co-operative Insurance Cup defeat at home to First Division side Morton. Scott Lindsay, chief executive of Hibernian FC, added: "The club cannot condone this behaviour. "Filipe accepts that what he did was wrong and was a bad example for the many thousands of young people who look up to football players. "Now that the matter has been settled by the courts, Filipe will be dealt with through the club's own disciplinary procedure, the outcome of which will remain private between the club and player."
| 
BBC NEWS CHANNEL 
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
BBC News
Bookmark with:
What are these?