Leeds United’s players have apologised after a video of them ignoring fans at a team hotel before their clash against Bournemouth went viral.
The clip sparked widespread condemnation from fans and pundits alike, with polarising British personality Piers Morgan branding the Leeds players as “selfish, arrogant p****s.”
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Leeds would go on to lose the game 4-1 in a bitter blow to their survival hopes as Bournemouth all but secured their Premier League status for another year.
In the video, players are seen wearing headphones and completely blanking the Leeds supporters who had gathered to wish them well, with a number of those being children.
The players have since issued a statement where they noted their performance against the Cherries “was not good enough” and that their fans “deserve more than this.”
“What is just as concerning to us as a group, is the video online of us leaving the hotel,” the statement read.
“Words can’t express how sorry we are that the youngster in the video wearing the Leeds kit is not shown more love from the squad.
“On a matchday we do an activation walk, before and after this we stop for photos and autographs to ensure we interact with fans, but also that we are on time when leaving for games.
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“However, there is no excuse for not acknowledging fans and if the parents of the fan wearing the Leeds kit in the video could make themselves known to us, we would be grateful.”
In a positive twist, a man claiming to be the father of the boy wearing the Leeds kit in the video has shared on Twitter that the video didn’t tell the whole story.
The Twitter user, going by the name @MagnumDecorati1, posted a series of photos of Leeds players interacting with his son and wrote “don’t believe what you read in these articles.”
The user also insists he will be going on British TV show Good Morning Britain where he “shall be telling the truth.”
It isn’t the first time in recent weeks Premier League players have been accused of snubbing a young fan.
Arsenal’s superstars came in for criticism after the club posted a video of their players signing a shirt for the club mascot before their 2-2 draw against West Ham United.
Although they stopped to sign the jersey, none of them uttered a word or even acknowledged the young girl.
Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist branded the scenes as “shocking” on talkSPORT and stated it was “agony watching that.”
