Tottenham fan who threw banana skin at Arsenal striker Aubameyang in ‘targeted racial gesture’, court hears

Supporter handed four-year ban from attending football matches after hurling fruit peel at Gabon striker

Panteli threw a banana skin towards Arsenal striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang during this month's north London derby (AFP)

A Tottenham fan who threw a banana skin at a black Arsenal footballer has been handed a four-year ban from football grounds after a court heard the “targeted” gesture had a “racial element”.

Averof Panteli admitted hurling the fruit peel onto the turf at the Emirates Stadium after Gunners star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in the north London derby earlier this month.

The 57-year-old told Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on Tuesday he threw the skin in the “spur of the moment” after the Gabon striker celebrated his goal with teammates in front of Spurs’ travelling support.

He insisted, despite bananas having long been used to taunt and abuse black players at football matches, he had not intended his actions to have racial connotations.

However, sentencing Panteli, magistrate Mervyn Mandell said he did not believe the fan’s version of events.

“We find it was a targeted gesture to throw a banana skin after a goal was scored by a black player,” Mr Mandell said. “We have in the circumstances found the racial element was there.”

Panteli, of Norwich, was handed a four-year football banning order after pleading guilty to throwing a missile.

He was also fined £500, which includes a £100 uplift for the racial element of the crime, and told to pay £135 in costs.

Speaking outside court, his solicitor, Leila Rasool said: “I'm very disappointed in the reaction of the courts and I think they have bowed down to media pressure.

“At the end of the day Mr Panteli has been charged and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to the offence of throwing a missile or object, in this case, unfortunately, a banana skin onto the pitch, and that's the wording of the offence.”

Ms Rasool repeated Panteli's insistences the incident was not racist.

“Mr Panteli is deeply distressed about the past weeks and the backlash he's faced and vilification of him for what was a spur of the moment decision made by a passionate Tottenham fan,” she added.

Two other men, Charlie Watts, 26, and Jason Paul Gannon, 36, were also charged separately with throwing missiles onto the pitch at the game.

Watts, from St Albans, was banned from football matches for three years and handed a £650 fine and £150 in costs.

Additional reporting by agencies