It's no secret that James McClean is one of English football's most contentious footballers.
Whether it's his infamous stance on the poppy or his unwavering beliefs, McClean never seems too far away from the jeering and heckling of opposition fans.
While the jeering has been a regular feature of McClean's career since he landed in Sunderland in 2011, the recent uptick in abuse of the Irishman has prompted the EFL to take action and give the Irishman a special exemption from one of their newly introduced rules.
McClean once again made headlines this November, when his refusal to wear the poppy and stand with his teammates for the annual minute of silence was met with jeering and sectarian chanting from Mansfield Town supporters who were in North Wales to take on Wrexham.
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EFL offer James McClean rules exemption to protect him
While there's been plenty of commentary over the years about footballing authorities failing to protect McClean, the EFL have taken action this season, offering the Derry man an exemption from their rules regarding exiting the football pitch.
The rules which came into action in 2019/20 stipulate that players must leave the field via the nearest sideline or goal line in order to keep play moving.
In a letter seen by the Daily Mail, however, it was revealed that McClean would receive an exemption from the rule and should exit the pitch at the closest point to the tunnel.
You will be aware that James McClean is often on the receiving end of abuse from some sections of support.
This has, in the past, resulted in FA sanctions against the Club due to the chanting becoming racially, or religiously motivated and therefore, classed as a hate crime. Missiles have also been thrown.
It has now been agreed that on occasions in the future when Mr McClean has to leave the field of play, for whatever reason, he will leave by the shortest route towards the tunnel. This process will help to reduce these incidents and also help to manage Mr McClean's departure from the pitch without incident.
The letter which was circulated to the EFL club's safety officers aims to prevent McClean from being exposed to fans along the sidelines for prolonged periods of time.
The decision comes off the back of a number of high-profile incidents involving McClean, one of which saw the Wrexham captain jeered and hassled by Birmingham City fans before having a jar of Bovril thrown at him. As you'd expect, McClean took it in his stride, hilariously catching and pretending to drink the Bovril.
While the sectarian abuse aimed at McClean is unlikely to stop anytime soon, this move from the EFL means that McClean should be protected from missiles going forward.
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