1
West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Albion Tackle Crowd Behaviour
« on: February 07, 2024, 03:31:03 PM »Haven’t posted on here for ages but feel the need to post my account of what happened Saturday. It’s been playing on my mind so I wanted to share what I saw and heard.
I have a season ticket in the Halfords lane stand with my daughter,front row where everything happened.
Bacuna was warming up right by us,nothing was said(at least I didn’t hear anything) and he never reacted to anything.
He comes on and within a few minutes he is looking directly at the section I’m in,not just a glance a proper scowling stare. Bloke behind me shouted”what the #### you looking at” so people noticed how he was looking over. Bacuna just smiled and ran off. Looking back was he looking for someone or just trying to get a reaction ? Was something said before the flashpoint ?
We go 1 up.
The ball then comes into our section, Bacuna runs to the cone and picks another ball up to take a quick throw in. In the meantime someone has thrown the ball back down from the stand and it goes on the pitch. The ref stops the game because there’s two balls on the pitch.
Bacuna then kicks the ball back in to the crowd. Deliberately. I wouldn’t say he blasted the ball but he put power in it. Shouting abuse at the section where I sit and throws his arms out, the ball goes right by the person Bacuna points out to the officials later on.
Obviously then people stand up and shout abuse back at him. I never once heard anything racial,Bacuna didn’t react to anything and the game continued. I never heard anything racial and nobody in the area reacted to anything that was said.
Short time after the ball comes right by us. I’ve got the ball in my hand. Albion have a throw in. I’m standing up with my arm out streched with the ball in my hand. Conor Townsend is walking towards me. Bacuna is looking directly at me. I can see him getting agitated because I’ve got the ball and Townsend is taking his time to take the throw in. A blues player runs to the cone and throws the spare ball to Townsend, Townsend lets that ball go past him and that’s when I throw the ball in Townsends direction. I didn’t hear anything racial shouted at this moment.
This is when Bacuna runs to the ref. We honestly thought he had gone to the ref because I had held the ball for a few seconds. The ref sort of waves him away at first. That’s when security comes over and Bacuna is describing someone in a hat with goggles on. Bacuna is pointing in our direction
The security guy then walks past us and goes to a man 7 seats down from me on the same row. The man in question had 2 children with him. I’ve never seen this man before as most people in that section are season ticket holders The family sitting next to him is an Asian family that are season ticket holders. Directly in front of him is a steward who is also Asian. Probably standing 3 yards in front of him
Me and my daughter leave on 95 minutes and we hear the man accused is refusing to give his details ( apparently gave them at the end of the game , along with other people in that area )
Through the whole few minutes of this happening I never heard anything racial shouted. If I had of I would have pointed it out myself. As would the other people in the area. A lot of kids and families sit there.
The man accused had his children with him and if something was shouted racial then someone would have heard it. Especially the young Asian family sitting next to him or the steward standing infront of him.
Thats my account of what happened anyway. If something racial was shouted then the culprit deserves locking up and never let in a football stadium again. Did I hear anything racial, did I see anyone react around me as if something was shouted racial, No I didn’t.
I’m interested to see what everyone around me says about the whole incident at the Cardiff game. The people around me are regulars. The steward who was standing in front of the accused is a regular in that spot. People who were a lot closer to the accused than Bacuna was. So I’m really keen to have those conversations at the next game.
Let’s just see how the investigation goes, if something racial was shouted then it’s something I didn’t hear.
Spoke to two chaps after the game who sit seemingly very close you and they said exactly the same as this, verbatim. I'd be interested to hear what those others who sit around you say when you see them at the Cardiff match.