LONDON (AP) — Crystal Palace’s club doctor has said he and his family were racially abused by a young child near Selhurst Park ahead of the team’s 5-3 home victory over Bournemouth on Sunday.
Dr. Zafar Iqbal tweeted that he had been left “devastated and speechless” after he and his two youngest children were abused on the final day of the Premier League season.
“Devastated and speechless,” he tweeted. “I didn’t know how to react. I couldn’t tell off the 3 y old kid. Should I have said something to the dad while my 2 young kids were there?”
After the match, Iqbal tweeted: “The thing that upsets me most is that my 12 year old daughter came to me to ask if I’d heard it and I didn’t know what to say.
“Should I have told off the dad? I was just gobsmacked. Again I reiterate this is not because of football but a society issue. Anyway taking kids on pitch.”
Palace condemned the incident.
“We utterly deplore the racist comments made to our club doctor while he was heading to today’s match with his children,” the club said. “It must have been an awful experience for him and his family and this disgraceful incident shows that the scourge of racism remains in our society.”
On the pitch, Michy Batshuayi scored the opening two goals for Palace, making it six in 13 appearances at the end of his loan from Chelsea.
Palace finished in 12th place, while Bournemouth slipped to 14th.
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