A Hull Daily Mail sports reporter was banned from reporting a football match from the press box after a player was interviewed without permission from the club’s manager.

Hull City reporter John Fieldhouse was forced to cover Saturday’s match against Bristol Rovers from the stands at the Kingston Communication Stadium after being hit by a ban by chairman Adam Pearson.

The chairman took action after news reporter Jon Reed interviewed striker Stuart Elliott about his religious beliefs without permission from manager Peter Taylor.

After failing to halt the interview, Hull City AFC’s chairman warned sports reporter John that he would not be allowed into the stadium and told him he had banned all players from talking to the Mail.

Determined to cover the match, John and a statistician bought tickets, but the newspaper was forced to use photographs taken by a Bristol photographer.

John also filed his match report as usual, with the help of other journalists who attended the manager’s post-match press conference.

The interview with footballer Stuart Elliott was published yesterday.

The Hull City chairman and the Mail were holding talks to resolve the dispute.

Editor John Meehan said: “We are bewildered that the club should be so upset.

“Stuart is a fine ambassador for Hull City AFC – an individual from the toughest of backgrounds who is an amazing role model for others.

“The story is not about Hull City – it’s about Stuart’s life. We have reported his experiences and beliefs sympathetically and sensitively, in accordance with his wishes.

“The club have no right to prevent this story being told when the player himself was happy to be interviewed – nor to ban our representative when we refused demands not to publish it.

“We believe our readers will be amazed at the way Hull City have reacted and will be disturbed by the extent to which the club seeks to control its staff and the media.

“We don’t want to be in dispute with Hull City but we cannot allow the club to dictate what appears in this newspaper. Every fan will appreciate the dangers of our independence being compromised.”

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