The Castlereagh Councillor said: “A string of Direct Rule Ministers and the last devolved DCAL Minister have failed to tackle the issue of sectarianism and racism at local football matches.
“They talk a good game when it comes to a shared future, yet they fail to deliver every time they are given an opportunity.
“Demands for legislation similar to the Football Offences Act have been sitting in these Minister’s in-trays for years and they have done nothing to address the issue.
“On 8 May, the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure will take control of matters relating to this area. The ball will be in their court and we will be keeping the pressure on them to give us the laws we need to drive the thugs off our terraces.
“Much progress has been made in local football to banish the thugs from our grounds, but we need laws that can be enforced to get rid of this element for good.
“The Irish League can flourish if more people come to watch matches and it must be a key priority for the next Minister to get the ball rolling on this.”
ENDS