Black child 'punched by spectator during football match' as police launch probe

26 February 2024 , 20:45

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A black boy playing football was attacked, says his mum (Image: Getty Images)

A black schoolboy playing football was allegedly kicked and punched by an adult spectator with police having launched an investigation.

The 14-year-old was taken to hospital after the attack at Hertford Heath Playing Fields, Hertfordshire, on Sunday February 4, with his mum claiming the attack was racially motivated. The youngster had gone to get the ball following a free kick when he was pounced on by the adult who punched him in the eye.

All the players and parents watching were reportedly horrified as the man attacked him, said the mother, who wanted to remain anonymous. The man is alleged to have first said “it’s always you” before the boy was kicked and punched, with the mum saying he could have been “killed”.

Hertfordshire Police have confirmed that they have launched an investigation into what happened. “Police in East Herts are investigating following a report of common assault to a boy who was 14 years old at the time of the incident (at Hertford Heath Park),” a spokesperson told The Voice.

“It is reported that at around 12:45pm on Sunday 4 February, a boy was kicked in the shins and punched in the face by a spectator while playing football.” The force is keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the alleged incident.

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The mother describing the attack said: “This man from the crowd came and grabbed my son’s shirt and said ‘it’s always you’ and kicked my son’s leg before punching him in the eye. Punching him and scarring his eye.”

She added: “My son saw double, triple, one hundred stars because that is a punch from an adult. He was in a lot of pain. That punch could have killed my child.”

The mother said how her husband went over to confront the man but he was held back by other angry parents and the alleged aggressor was moved away with the game having to be halted. She said that her Essex-based team was playing an all-white side with players having kicked the ball at her son before the incident, while the boy’s teammates had asked them why they were doing it.

She believes the attack was racially motivated. “He’s a black boy, that is a white man, in my head it’s racial because you would not put your hand on a white child like that?” she said.

The mum added that her son now has been left upset by the incident and doesn’t want to continue playing as a result. The Mirror has contacted Hertfordshire Police for comment.

Tim Hanlon