An England fan who posed with a flag mocking the death of Diego Maradona in Naples yesterday was banned for life by Burnley FC three years ago for flying a ‘white lives matter’ banner over the Etihad Stadium.
Jake Hepple, 26, had his ticket torn up by the FA for last night’s match after he was photographed on a train holding a St George’s cross with the words ‘Diego is in a box’ in the four white quadrants.
His father was said today to be “furious” over his latest stunt. It also sparked outrage among Neapolitans, who widely revere the Argentine footballer for his exploits while playing for local team Napoli. He died of a heart attack in 2020.
Hepple, who is in his early twenties, is a supporter of EDL founder Tommy Robinson and regularly shares offensive material on his Facebook page, including a photo of himself giving a thumbs up next to a mugshot of killer Raoul Moat.
A friend of a fan, who did not want to be named, told MailOnline today: ‘Jake was excited to go to the England game in Italy but sadly he has run into trouble again. He’s easy to handle, I think he was goaded by some of the other guys and now he’s gotten him into a lot of trouble.
Jake Hepple was photographed with a St George flag that had the words ‘Diego’s in a box’ on each quadrant
In 2020 Mr Hepple chartered a plane with a banner reading “White Lives Matter Burnley”.
Mr Hepple is pictured on the left with the founder of the English Defense League, Tommy Robinson.
The friend revealed that Hepple’s father had seen the photo and was ‘furious’. He added: ‘After the White Lives Matter banner, his dad expected Jake to sort himself out. He lost his job after that and his girlfriend left him too.
“Jake’s father is not happy because his son seems to be going from one crisis to another. He thinks Jake is a little soft in the head and doesn’t really think about what he’s doing. The father perfectly understands why people in Naples would be so angry with this flag.”
In an earlier interview with MailOnline, Mr Hepple tried to excuse his use of the racist term ‘p***’ on social media by saying that he sometimes gets ‘a little drunk and uses offensive language’.
The England fan arranged for the ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’ banner to fly over the Etihad during Burnley’s match against Manchester City Stadium on June 22, 2020, just after the players took a knee.
He was later fired from his role as a welder at Lancashire-based Paradigm Precision, with the company saying it “did not condone or tolerate racism in any form”.
He then told MailOnline: ‘I’m not a racist. I know people try to impersonate one, but I don’t. I have a lot of black and asian friends and this banner was actually inspired by the Black Lives movement.
‘We were not trying to offend the movement or black people. I think it’s also important to recognize that white lives matter too. That’s all we were trying to say.
Mr Hepple had already been warned that he was facing dismissal, and he said in response: “My employer, the club and many other people have completely overreacted to what happened.”
His girlfriend at the time, Megan Rambadt, also faced criticism for racist posts on social media and was fired from her job as a beautician.
Last night’s match between the Three Lions and the Azzurri, which England won 2-1, had been flagged for possible crowd trouble and was held at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, named after the soccer icon.
A group of English fans, including Hepple, posed yesterday with the flag in Naples.
Mr Hepple regularly shares offensive material on his Facebook page, including a photo of himself giving a thumbs up next to a mugshot of the killer Raoul Moat.
Mr Hepple’s girlfriend, Megan Rambadt, also lost her job due to racist comments she had made on social media.
Ms Rambadt’s tweet about Burnley being a ‘foreign country’ that ‘needs classification’
The previous week there were battle runs after the visit of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League and in which police cars were also set on fire.
While no similar scenes were seen yesterday, the sight of an England fan mocking one of Napoli’s most beloved figures did not go down well with the locals.
Maradona, who died three years ago, won five trophies, including two Serie A titles, with Napoli between 1984 and 1990, at which time his career was cut short by a drug ban.
The Argentine soccer player, who won two World Cups with his country and scored the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England, is adored by fans of the Italian team, who have a statue in his honor on the pitch.
Mr Hepple’s hack sparked a strong response from the FA, with a spokesman saying: “We strongly condemn the actions of the individual who traveled to Naples with a flag that had a very offensive message.
We immediately take steps to cancel your tickets before the game. The matter will be reviewed further when we return to England.
People on social media expressed concern yesterday for his safety, with many saying he could expect a violent response from Italian fans in Naples if he were seen with the flag.
A social media image of Mr Hepple shows him in the back with friends in the pub holding England flags.
In an earlier interview with MailOnline, Mr Hepple tried to excuse his use of the racist term ‘p***’ on social media by saying that he sometimes gets ‘a little drunk and uses offensive language’.
A private plane streaked across the sky above the stadium moments after Burnley and Manchester players took a knee to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Hepple declared himself the organizer of the 2020 White Lives Matter poster in a Facebook post.
The ‘Suicide Squad’, a far-right group of Burnley fans, is believed to have collectively financed the flight.
Hepple said 60 people contributed to the banner and the rental of the plane, which cost £600 in total.
He said organizers had offers of money from “hundreds” of people who were willing to support the “cause of white lives matter.”
The plane flew over the stadium just after Manchester City and Burnley FC players took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Mr Hepple, who lived at home with his mother Jill and stepfather Dave, claimed he only became involved after a terrorist attack in Reading shortly before the game.
In 2010 Mr Hepple posted this flag showing his support for the far-right English Defense League.
Mr Hepple, a Burnley resident, refused to apologize for the White Lives Matter banner.
Mr Hepple shared photos and a video on Facebook of the plane carrying the ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’ message.
He continued: ‘The idea came from a soccer friend of mine. He wanted to point out that it’s not just black lives that matter, but white lives and everything else.
‘I supported the idea and I think it was necessary to say it. I still do. Then the attack in Reading happened and I thought I had to get more involved with the banner.
“He was angry that white people had been killed and nobody was making a fuss about it.”
Mr Hepple’s stunt sparked outrage and was widely condemned, with Burnley captain Ben Mee saying he was “embarrassed and embarrassed”.
Other Burnley fans started a Go to Fund Me page raising money for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, set up in memory of the black teenager after he was killed in a racist attack in 1993.
