Further details on ‘banana case' after Arsenal vs Tottenham match

The Tottenham fan charged with throwing a banana skin at Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has insisted he is not racist. The Spurs fan named Averof Pantelli says that he found the discarded skin on the floor and flung it without thinking about the racial implications of what he was doing. He said: “I am not racist whatsoever. I am actually a Greek Cypriot. I am 100% not a racist. I swear on my kids’ lives that I am not that kind of guy. “I apologise if I have offended anyone from both clubs, especially Tottenham. It was a mad thing I did and I never meant to offend anyone in any way. I have been charged with throwing an object. I am not charged with anything racist. The police were happy to accept it was not racist. I have made a big mistake and I am sincerely sorry for it. “Without thinking, I picked up this banana skin and threw it on the edge of the pitch. I didn’t throw it at the players. It was just on the edge of the pitch. It is totally out of character. I didn’t think of the racist connotations.”

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