West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has alleged that a player was racially abused at the club’s end-of-season dinner last night.
Police were called to the event at the Grosvenor House Hotel, which was attended by both players and supporters, when trouble broke out between the parties.
“We were called at 2115 BST to reports of a disturbance at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane,” the Metropolitan Police told BBC News. "Officers attended. There were no offences alleged and no arrests."
The hostility is thought to have begun after a player, rumoured to be Demba Ba, refused to give an inebriated fan his autograph. This led to the player being racially abused, according to Sullivan.
“It was one individual who had too much to drink, sadly a problem in British society,” he told Sky Sports News.
“A player was racially abused by the same drunken supporter, which is not acceptable. Sadly one drunken supporter let the club down.”
West Ham’s relegation was confirmed on Sunday when they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Wigan Athletic. The club is now seeking a new manager following Avram Grant’s dismissal.
Dan Saney
