West Brom may have ended their losing streak and given themselves hope of avoiding the drop this weekend but striker Jay Rodriguez has been accused of racist abuse by Brighton's Gaetan Bong in the aftermath of the match.
Things have looked bleak for most of the season for West Brom. First Tony Pulis was failing to get results out of the team so he was sacked and replaced with Alan Pardew.
The former Newcastle United and Crystal Palace manager has a reputation for bringing a decent new manager bounce with him when he gets a new job but the Baggies hadn't benefited from that, getting to 20 games without a win.
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On Saturday they beat Brighton with goals from defenders Jonny Evans and Craig Dawson but the headlines have now turned sour with Gaetan Bong accusing Jay Rodriguez of racially abusing him.
The former Burnley forward was clearly seen making a gesture at Bong to suggest he smelled. Bong claimed Rodriguez said, 'You're black and you stink,' and told French tv programme SFR Sport about the incident:
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After the match both clubs' managers talked briefly about the incident with Pardew saying, "I know Jay so well, I find it hard to believe. He says it is untrue."
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Brighton boss Hughton confirmed that Bong had reported the episode saying, "Bong has reported Jay Rodriguez for something that was said to him."
Rodriguez' teammate James McClean stuck up for his colleague on Twitter:
It is the second report of racist abuse during a game in the last two weeks following Mason Holgate's claim that he was abused by Roberto Firmino during the FA Cup third round tie between Liverpool and Everton.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Racism, Premier League, West Brom, Brighton