Blackburn star makes up bizarre excuse for bad behaviour

Blackburn’s El Hadji Diouf gave the world yet another example of his sparkling personality at the weekend, when he was overheard by home fans at Goodison Park shouting “F**k off white boy” at an errant ball-boy.

Keen to stress that he would never impart offensive comments at a stranger, the Senegalese star has vehemently denied the incident:

“I didn’t even speak to him. I just told the assistant ref that the ball-boy should respect the players.

“For a kid to say things like that is unacceptable.

“I’ve had other problems, of spitting or fighting on the pitch but not of racism.

“I don’t have just black friends. I have a very good understanding with Gael Givet here at Blackburn for example.

“All this is not El Hadji Diouf. I did nothing.”

Feeling that it was not enough to deny the incident and give a Daily Mail reader-esque ‘I’m not racist because I have friends from other races‘ rationale, Diouf then claimed Toffees fans gave him a vile 1980s-style fruit shower:

“What’s more people threw bananas at me. The fourth official said he would make a report to the police.

“I didn’t say anything so that people couldn’t say ‘It’s El Hadji Diouf again’.

We weren’t at Goodison Park on Sunday so we can’t say Diouf is telling fibs for certain, but all of the TV cameras, photographers, journalists and other members of the crowd failed to spot the banana throwing incident. Additionally, police and ground staff investigated the area of the pitch where the forward cliamed to have been abused and found no evidence of tropical fruit.

Such accusations will not be welcomed by Everton fans, and the claim could land Diouf in a lot more trouble than if he had just kept quiet.