Ross County manager Malky Mackay gives backing to plan for minute's applause for Regan Charles-Cook against Aberdeen in aftermath of alleged racist abuse
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Malky Mackay says both he and Regan Charles-Cook have been touched by plans for a minute's applause in support of the winger in tonight's match against Aberdeen.
After County's match against Rangers on Saturday, it was revealed that Charles-Cook was allegedly racially abused online, with a police investigation currently ongoing.
In response to that, an online campaign started up to show support for the Premiership's top scorer by holding a minute's applause in the 17th minute.
Mackay revealed both he and the player were heartened when they heard about the plans, and if it happens he will join in.
"It's obviously in the hands of the police, so I don't want to say too much in terms of that," Mackay said.
"I gave Regan a call after we found out and we spoke on the phone for 15 or 20 minutes, Steven Ferguson is all over it as well, so we'll stay strong as a club, united and together.
"Nothing breaks us. He was in on Sunday morning as good as gold with everyone and the group are around him.
"I heard (about the applause), and it really gave me a nice, warm feeling – and it did for Regan as well when he found out.
"I would love for that to happen, and I would certainly be joining in.
"I'm delighted that we've got a group of people that can be seen to be coming behind a cause. There was a lot of outpouring of people's genuine backing for Regan, so it's terrific."
The alleged incident come after a year or two of increasingly prevalent racist abuse online targeted towards football players.
When the Black Lives Matter movement began in earnest in the summer of 2020, football's response was to take the knee before matches in a sign of solidarity and support.
This season in Scotland, though, some clubs have quietly stopped making the gesture at the start of matches, while others take a stand against racism and still others take a knee.
Mackay feels there could be more joined-up thinking between clubs, but does not think the overarching message is becoming undermined by the different approaches.
"Nobody is making a detrimental statement clubs-wise, but you watch some of the game on TV and one team are kneeling and one team are standing, then in some games nobody does it, in others everyone does," Mackay reasoned.
"The next week we're doing something different, so it's like a 'what are we doing today' thing.
"It is literally just before kick off, so I come out of the dressing room and I don't know sometimes if we're blowing for that or the start of the game – I do, because (club secretary) Fiona MacBean is on it and she tells me, but I don't think anybody wants to go near the topic either.
"There's nobody making a detrimental statement on it, but to call it 'patchy' is correct.
"I don't think it undermines the message because some teams have said they're standing for it, and others have said they're kneeling.
"It's not even mixed messages, it's just that people are doing different things.
"If everyone knows that's what's happening – for example everyone knew last week at Livingston that at a certain minute we were all going to start clapping.
"It worked out really well that there was a foul, and because the referee knew what was going on he picked the ball up and held on to it while we all clapped.
"It was a genuinely beautiful moment, and then it was like 'let's go', and that's where the power of football happens, so I suppose it's just about having clarity on it."
