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A Chester Football Club fan who was accused of making a racist monkey gesture towards a black player has been found dead hours after being reported to police.
Chester FC put out a statement condemning the actions of an individual who was seen on camera making the apparent gesture towards Warrington Town player Bohan Dixon, following the side’s goal in Saturday’s 1-1 draw.
The club confirmed that they intended to pass on all available information to police and in a statement issued on Sunday afternoon said they were “”angry and dismayed at an alleged instance of racism”, which occurred among the 900 travelling fans to the National League North fixture at the Cal.Delivery Stadium.
But the club issued an update on Monday morning to announce that the individual accused of the abuse had died.
In a social media post, the club said: “It is with sadness Chester FC has been made aware of the tragic death of the individual involved. We have disabled comments out of respect and the immediate thoughts of everyone at the club are with his family and friends.”
Cheshire Police confirmed that it had received a report regarding the incident and that the suspected individual, who has not been identified, was “due to be spoken to at a later date about the matter”.
Police subsequently confirmed that he died after being found at a property in Flint, North Wales, and that there were no suspicious circumstances.
A Cheshire Police spokesperson said: “During the match between Warrington FC and Chester FC on Saturday, November 30, police were made aware of a racially aggravated public order offence. The suspect was identified and was due to be spoken to at a later date about the matter.
“Sadly, the man was reported to have died at an address in Flint on Sunday, December 1. There are no suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”
Originally the club expressed their anger at the behaviour “of a minority who are unable to behave responsibly”, with a Football Association investigation now expected to be launched into fans’ behaviour at the match. Match officials are understood to have reported actions to the FA that included the use of pyrotechnics, throwing objects on the pitch as well as racist abuse.
The initial statement read: “We were angry and dismayed at an alleged instance of racism directed at a Warrington Town player during yesterday’s National League North fixture.
“We have acted swiftly to obtain video and photographic evidence of the incident and have identified the individual in question. The matter will now be subject to an FA investigation and this information will also be shared with Cheshire Police.
