Eight-year-old Leeds fan speaks out after being 'ignored' by players at hotel
The Leeds United fan who was 'ignored' by the team at their Bournemouth hotel has spoken out amid the backlash the players have received.
Leeds were forced to release a statement after a video surfaced online of their players blanking supporters in their hotel on Sunday.
A clip shared on social media showed stars of the Leeds team walking towards the hotel's entrance in silence as fans tried to get their attention for a photo.
They avoided eye contact, with most of them wearing headphones or on their phones as they headed for the door.
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But the eight-year-old insists the Leeds players DID interact with him as his father and mother defended the team.
"Some of them waved at me and some of them didn't," said Dylan on Good Morning Britain, before the mother asked: "But a lot of them did, didn't they?"
To which the little lad replied: "Yeah."
John, the father of Dylan, then said the video was a 'tiny snapshot of what happened' and claims a host of players interacted with his son.
After the video surfaced online, the club released a strongly-worded statement as they apologised to Dylan.
"As the first team squad at Leeds United, we wanted to reach out to the fan base regarding yesterday’s game and subsequent posts on social media," it reads.
"Firstly, the performance was not good enough. There is no other way to look at it and the only way to respond is on the pitch. Leeds fans travel up and down the country in huge numbers and deserve more than this.
"What is just as concerning to us as a group, is the video online of us leaving the hotel. 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. 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.
"We do not believe that this fight is over and we will keep going until the last ball is kicked this season. Thank you again for your support."
Gary Neville kept it real as he sent a clear message on social media, hitting out at the 'sanitised/vanilla PR guff'.
Leeds, meanwhile, currently occupy 17th spot in the table, one place above Nottingham Forest on goal difference.
They both have 30 points on the board - as do Leicester City.
Javi Gracia's side have four big games to secure their top flight status.
Will they avoid the drop? Let us know.
Topics: Leeds United, Football
Nasir Jabbar