Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has invited a young disabled supporter to Old Trafford as his guest after the 12-year-old was hit by a coin thrown from the Arsenal away end.
George Howe suffered a gash to his head while he was sat in the disabled stand as he attended his first ever match at United’s home ground last Thursday and had to be taken to hospital.
The youngster, who has epilepsy, brain scarring and autism and suffers from seizures, was treated by medical staff at the ground before his father took him to A&E.
Although United secured a thrilling 3-2 victory against the Gunners, George was unable to watch the conclusion of the match and had his first trip to Old Trafford ruined.
His dad, James Howe, says the coin came from the away stand above the disabled section and also claimed that he saw a number of Arsenal fans mocking young fans in wheelchairs.
‘It was disgusting,’ he told the Manchester Evening News. ‘You could just tell before kick-off it was going to be one of those games. You could sense it in the atmosphere.
‘After about 20 minutes they started throwing bottles, bottle caps, full pies. They were landing right near where George was sat, so I swapped seats with him to try and stop him getting hit.
‘For the whole of the second half I was getting pelted with coins, then with about 15 minutes to go, one hit George on the top of his head.
‘It left a hell of a gash. And with him suffering seizures it’s not ideal for him to be hit on the head.’
Mr Howe tweeted about his experience and when United defender Dalot – who has come into the starting XI in recent weeks – heard about it he immediately offered young George the chance to return to Old Trafford for a more positive experience.
I’m sorry to hear that your son had to go through all that.. Hopefully he is okay now! I’m more than happy to invite you both for our next home game so your son can really enjoy what football is about â¤ï¸
Can you provide me a contact so I can speak with you? https://t.co/mHAQdf7f6a— Diogo Dalot (@DalotDiogo) December 7, 2021
He wrote: ‘I’m sorry to hear that your son had to go through all that… hopefully he is okay now!
‘I’m more than happy to invite you both to our next home game so your son can really enjoy what football is all about. Can you provide me a contact so I can speak to you?’
Manchester United and Arsenal are working together to check CCTV footage and identify the culprits, who will likely be banned from attending future matches.
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