Patrick van Aanholt reveals he suffered racist abuse over a lost bet

BY SAM SMITH

Patrick van Aanholt has revealed that racist abuse he suffered on social media last month was over a lost bet.

The Crystal Palace defender had a late chance saved by goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the club’s 0-0 draw with Manchester United on March 3. He was at home later that day when he saw the abuse on Instagram.

Van Aanholt shared the message to his Instagram story with the caption “why we kneel” – in reference to players taking a knee before matches in the Premier League and EFL as a symbol of anti-racism.

The Netherlands international told Sky Sports: “It was just after the United game and I missed that chance.

“Somebody posted a bet on us to win the game and [for] me to score. Unfortunately, I didn’t score and he lost his bet. He abused me on social media.

“I was at home after the game, chilling with my family and I saw the message. I responded to portions on my story, just to show people it’s still there.

“It didn’t affect me the way he wanted me to be affected, but it’s not nice to call people those kinds of words. I think we need to call them out and that’s what I did.

“I don’t know what to say. Why are we talking about racism in 2021? It’s just ridiculous. It’s crazy.

“But it’s not just in the Premier League, it’s everywhere. It’s in La Liga, [it’s in] in France. It needs to stop. Everybody should call them out.”

Instagram – an app used for sharing photos and sending messages – has said that the offending account has been deleted.

However, the platform came under fire again today (Thursday) when a racist and sexist comment was left by an anonymous account under a post by the former Crystal Palace and Millwall footballer Rinsola Babajide.

The offending account and comment remain despite many attempts to report it to Instagram.