While India and England were involved in an intense battle on the fourth day of a test match at Edgbaston on Monday evening, several fans in the stands allegedly faced racist slurs and complained of inaction by stewards.
India supporters took to social media claiming they were called ‘smelly p**’, ‘curry c*’, and posted visuals of the incident. They said the incident was brought to the stewards who, instead of intervening, looked the other way and told the India fans to sit in their seats.
A fan who goes by the Twitter handle Trust The Process!!!! said, “Racist behaviour at @Edgbaston towards Indian fans in block 22 Eric Hollies. People calling us Curry C**ts and paki bas****s. We reported it to the stewards and showed them the culprits at least 10 times but no response and all we were told is to sit in our seats. @ECB_cricket.”
Another fan Reena tweeted, “So much for battling racism in cricket!! @Edgbaston was horrific today. So many complaints made to stewards however said person was not removed. So disappointed in what we had to face most of the day. @ICC @ECB_cricket @BCCI.”
Former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq, whose allegations of racist slurs and discrimination shook English cricket last year, said it was disappointing to read about the incident.
Meanwhile, Edgbaston officials apologised for the incident and promised to probe the matter.
Edgbaston Chief Executive Stuart Kane said in a statement said he was “shocked” by the report and would ensure that the “problem is resolved quickly.”
"We are working hard to make Edgbaston a safe place for everyone. In this atmosphere, I was shocked to see these reports. I personally spoke to the gentleman who made this allegation. I'm also talking to the stewards who were at the stand. No one at Edgbaston has to be subjected to any kind of abuse. Once we have got all the information, we will ensure that this problem is resolved quickly," Kane said.
The West Midlands Police said they launched a criminal investigation into the allegation of abusive behaviour.
A spokesperson for the force told Sky Sports News: "We've launched a criminal investigation into reports of racist, abusive behaviour at the test match in Birmingham yesterday”.
"We're liaising with Edgbaston officials to understand what's happened and would encourage anyone who heard any racist language or gestures, or has video footage that could help, to get in touch.
"We're aware of images circulating on social media showing an alleged offender. We're making enquiries to identify the person and would urge him to come forward and speak to us”.
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event