A lifelong Liverpool fan and his children had their dream trip to Anfield ruined after being spat at and racially abused by a group of youths near the stadium. Salim Ahmed, 39, from Bristol, was with his wife and three children, aged 7, 9 and 13, when the incident occurred on Sunday evening.
The family, devoted Liverpool supporters, had travelled to the city for the Reds' pre-season friendly with Monaco. It was the eldest son's birthday on the Friday, and they planned to make a weekend of it, including seeing the murals around Anfield.
Attack near Ian Rush mural
Salim, who runs a marketing business, said the family was standing close to the Ian Rush mural at the junction of Alroy Road and Anfield Road when they heard spit land on them. He felt it on the back of his neck and hair, his wife on her, and his seven-year-old daughter on her clothes and legs.
He told the ECHO: "We suddenly heard the noise of spit and we felt it land on us. I felt it land on the back of my neck and on my hair. My wife felt it land on her and my little girl, who is only 7, it went on her clothes and her legs."
The group, around eight to ten youths aged between 10 and 14, some on bikes, spat again, confirming what had happened. Salim, who said he had never experienced anything like this before, got his family into the car and locked the doors.
Racist abuse shouted
After ensuring his family was safe, Salim went back to confront the youths, who cycled away shouting vile racist abuse at him. He said: "They were cycling away shouting 'come on then you f****** p***', which obviously confirmed what their motivation was."
More young people joined the group, and Salim chose to return to his wife and children. As he drove away, some youths on bikes pursued the car through the Anfield backstreets, but the family eventually made it out of the area.
Police investigate
Salim reported the incident to Merseyside Police, who have been proactive in following up the case. He said: "I felt I had to report it because I don't want this to happen to another family." His daughter asked why the children had spat at them, and he had to explain that not everyone in the world is nice.
He added: "Of course I know not all of Liverpool is like that, elsewhere we had a really nice experience with people helping to show us where to go. We still went to see Liverpool and my son got to see Van Dijk and Szoboszlai, Mac Allister and Endo play at Anfield. But of course this incident overshadowed the trip."
Merseyside Police confirmed the report, describing one of the youths as white, aged 13 to 15, wearing dark blue shorts and a light grey top with dark-coloured sleeves. Chief Inspector Andrew Fielding said: "This was an absolutely despicable abuse and assault of a family who were simply enjoying artwork near to Anfield Stadium, only to be confronted by youths intent on causing fear and distress. We are supporting the victims as our investigation continues."
He appealed for anyone in the area at around 9.30pm or with CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage to come forward. Liverpool FC is also investigating and is in direct contact with Salim, aiming to help however it can.
