The club labelled the comments as “disgraceful”
Crystal Palace have condemned ‘racist’ comments aimed the club doctor, Dr Zafar Iqbal, after he detailed a harrowing experience he suffered while dropping his children off at a friend’s house before Palace’s win over Bournemouth on Sunday.
He tweeted: “Devastated and speechless. Taking my 2 youngest kids to their first ever game at Selhurst park and walking a few hundred yards from the stadium a 3 y old shouted to his dad – ‘Look daddy there’s some Pakis’. His dad ‘attempted to scold’ him. Racism is not just a football problem.”
“I didn’t know how to react,” Iqbal added. ”
“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?. Anyway game to prepare for and wonder if the kid and his parents will be in the crowd…”
Devastated and speechless. Taking my 2 youngest kids to their first ever game at Selhurst park and walking a few hundred yards from the stadium a 3 y old shouted to his dad – ‘Look daddy there’s some Pakis’. His dad ‘attempted to scold’ him. Racism is not just a football problem
— DrZaf (@sportsdrzaf) May 12, 2019
In a statement, Crystal Palace said they “utterly deplored” the comments.
“It must have been an awful experience for him and his family,” the statement continued.
“This disgraceful incident shows that the scourge of racism remains in our society.
“Crystal Palace Football Club is committed to inclusivity and diversity and we will offer Dr Zaf our full support if he chooses to take the matter further.”
Dr Iqbal later clarified that the incident took place some distance away from Selhurst Park.
To make an already unpleasant day worse, I see this. This was nothing to do with @CPFC. This was streets away from the stadium, when I dropped my kids off at a friends, who took them to the game while I worked. This is society and certain media makes this worse @DailyMailUK pic.twitter.com/eMW7f0cDXO
— DrZaf (@sportsdrzaf) May 12, 2019
