Victor Obinna says family were not racially abused by West Ham fans

Posted Thursday, April 07, 2011 by theguardian.com

• Striker dismisses reports of incidents at Upton Park
• Obinna: 'I didn't have any of my relatives at the game'

Victor Obinna says family were not racially abused by West Ham fans
Victor Obinna has denied reports of racist abuse by West Ham fans.

The West Ham United forward Victor Obinna, whose family were allegedly racially abused by fans at Upton Park on Saturday, has revealed that none of his relatives were in the country at the time.

Reports at the weekend claimed Obinna and Frédéric Piquionne's families suffered abuse during West Ham's 4-2 defeat to Manchester United, with guests of the two strikers allegedly involved in a confrontation with a small group of fans.

The reports prompted the club to launch an immediate investigation, but Nigeria international Obinna, 24, has now categorically denied claims of racism.

"Nothing happened – I do not have any of my family members in England. There is no point asking me to confirm or verify an incident that never happened – I was in total shock when I heard and read about it in the papers. I didn't have any of my relatives at the game and I do not know anyone who complained of any racial incident at the game."

The club's co-chairman David Sullivan said on Monday he was "appalled" by reports the families were racially abused while sitting in a box in the Main Stand.

West Ham released an official statement denouncing the behaviour and promising a full investigation into the allegations, a move welcomed by football's equality and inclusion campaign, Kick It Out.

Kick It Out spokesman Danny Lynch said yesterday: "We've always advocated a zero tolerance approach to any form of discrimination in the game. This sort of thing gives the perception that it sets us back and I think it masks all the hard work clubs like West Ham do. We welcome West Ham's very proactive stance yesterday, with David Sullivan coming out saying he would investigate it and I think that is what we need.

"West Ham are a very community-focused club anyway and they have seen the incident as a blot on the rest of the supporters so there is no doubt they will take the action that needs to be done."