Police swoop on Victor Anichebe while he browses in shop window

While deciding how to dispose of his generous income at the window of a posh jewellery shop in Knutsford, Cheshire yesterday, Everton star Victor Anichebe was deemed to be “acting suspiciously” by Police. Rather than risk letting the wealthy footballer make a purchase, the fuzz decided the best course of action was to slap him in some handcuffs.

The Sun says:

Officers leapt from a car, surrounded the Nigerian-born Everton ace and handcuffed a pal he was with.

An astonished witness told yesterday how the shaken star - on CRUTCHES after being crocked for the season - was grilled by up to five cops in front of afternoon shoppers.

He kept protesting: “I’m a footballer - I play for Everton. Why would I want to rob a shop?”

The Sun continue by quoting Sean Reynolds, a witness of the incident:

“Either Victor or his mate said, ‘If I was a white man it wouldn’t matter - you’re being racist’. A crowd was gathering by this stage. It was getting more and more agitated.”

While it is fair to cite racism as a motivator for this incident, is not also a tiny bit racist to fail to discern between Anichebe and “his mate”? The quote above may as well start: “One of those black folks said…”

Everton have issued a statement claiming the player was “distressed” by the incident, and that they expect a full apology from the police.