A photo of the matchday program with the headline "Chairman's Notes" and below that a photo of Peter McCormack holding a large black gun in his right hand and doing the V-peace sign with the other. He is standing with a scrubland behind and a black vehicle to his right.Peter McCormack
Louise Parry
BBC News, Bedford
The chairman of a non-league football club has been fined by the FA after a photo of him holding a large gun was printed in the club's matchday programme.
Peter McCormack, who owns Real Bedford, said "no laws were broken" and accused the FA of not "upholding free speech".
Bedfordshire FA said following a hearing, a £30 fine was issued for "improper conduct" in relation to the picture, while he was also given a separate fine and three-match ban for using "abusive language" against another manager.
Mr McCormack posted on X saying: "The picture shows me on holiday in America, holding a legally owned gun. The complaint boils down to subjective taste".
The podcaster bought the club in 2021 with the aim of turning it into a Premier League club.
It is currently in the ninth tier of English football and is co-owned by cryptocurrency investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
Peter McCormackJames Burridge/BBC
'Guns are cool'
Mr McCormack said: "This is the same photo that's been used all season without issue, until now."
He said one panel member at the FA hearing "asked if I was trying to make guns look 'cool'."
"My response? Guns are cool. The misuse of guns is certainly not, but let's be honest, children play with toy guns, video games like Fortnite dominate their evening, and shooting is an Olympic sport," he argued.
The FA confirmed it had upheld two charges of improper conduct, including "not acting in the best interests of the game" for the photo.
Mr McCormack also faces a three-match ban from Real Bedford Ladies games in relation to using "foul and abusive language".
He said: "This decision by the FA is a prime example of a failure to uphold basic principles of free speech.
"A society where people are penalised for offending someone with a photograph is a society on a dangerous path."
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