Exclusive:Sheffield United denies inaction on complaint over suspended Reform councillor accused of Nazi sympathies
The councillor was suspended only days after the election
Sheffield United has denied it failed to take action against Blades fan and suspended Reform UK councillor Nathenial Menday, after a fellow supporter complained about social media posts which appeared to indicate Nazi sympathies.
Coun Menday was elected to represent Woodhouse ward in council elections on May 7, however he said he Is already considering his political future after the furore around his previous online activity.
The currently independent councillor made the posts on X/Twitter under the moniker NatSUFC99, with his profile picture showing him wearing a Sheffield United shirt.
The Yorkshire Post and the Sheffield Star can now reveal that a fellow supporter complained to the club about his social media posts two years before the election.
The complaint said: “I am aware of a very prominent supporter of Sheff Utd on Twitter (aka X), who has been sharing a lot vile views and language that really do not belong at our club, or should be associated with our club.
“It's disgusting to see him essentially representing our club whilst expressing these views and using discriminatory language.”
The complaint included posts of a picture of Adolf Hitler’s biography, Mein Kampf, repeated references to Aryans - the Nazi terminology for what they viewed as a “master race” - and neo-Nazi phrases like “Evropa”.
The fan, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said that Coun Menday continued to attend home and away fixtures after he raised concerns with Sheffield United.
They commented: “As a supporter of the club, it was disappointing to see this seemingly ignored.
Speaking about the revelations following Coun Menday’s election, they added: “It's good to see this is all coming to light now but it's a shame that it was raised to the club almost two years ago with seemingly no consequences at the time, as far as we're currently aware at least.”
Sheffield United pushed back that there had been no consequences and said the complaint had been escalated to the club’s safety and security department.
A spokesperson said: “The football club treats matters such as this with the utmost importance and is aware of the ongoing situation with Mr Menday, but refutes claims that no action was taken.
“As per the response to the complainant in August 2024, the issues were raised with the safety and security team, who presented information to the relevant authorities for investigation.
“It was also recommended that the complainant made contact with the relevant authorities.”
In his first public statement since the election earlier this week, Coun Menday said “of course” he is not a Nazi.
However, he said he would “not apologise” for the social media posts, claiming they were jokes.