St Helens and England Women’s player Chantelle Crowl has explained how she was racially abused whilst on holiday in Spain.
Speaking to BBC Sport, she said: “At the pool the lifeguard was making racist remarks and was really aggressive towards me and was telling my wife that she needed to tell her friend to ‘shut up’ and this and that.”
She added: “I got a bit upset and we went to make a complaint and the lady on the desk seemed sympathetic and was writing the details down. The manager came out from behind his desk and ripped it up and shouted ‘get out’ using the same racial slurs. I started to record him on my phone and he ripped it from out of my hand and gripped my face where I have two claw marks.”
The 2021 treble winner also shared images of the ‘claw marks’ via social media.
Please read and share!
Unfortunately i was the victim of a racial/hate crime at blue sea montevista hawai in lloret de mar, spain.
Please dont go to this hotel
This has definitely left a scar pic.twitter.com/IRLOn0QYiX— chantelle crowl (@ChannyCrowl) June 8, 2023
She also detailed the events as she left the hotel: “We got all of our luggage and everything together and on the way out of the hotel, the manager was stood with a handyman or electrician of the hotel that goes and fixes problems. They followed us out. I had a weird feeling but we were just trying to get out of there and when we got to by the roadside he [the handyman] just turned around and punched me in the face.”
She added: “He tried to take my suitcase so my wife had to grip onto it. He broke the [metal] bar off the suitcase and then repeatedly hit me in the face with it. He hit also me in the back as I tried to cover myself. Some of the Spanish people around on the street… witnesses got in his face and were shouting ‘no, no’ and he ran off. It is dreadful to live through.”
Crowl also highlighted that she visited the police station in Lloret de Mar, however felt that she received insufficient help upon arrival.
“They didn’t get me checked out medically or anything like that” she said. “They were keen to get me to not press charges in any type of way by scaring me that I wouldn’t be able get home.”
“They brought a translator and basically told me, you make no statement and he makes no statement, or you have to stay longer and can’t leave on your flight on Wednesday and I’d have to go back to Spain for court.
“The police also said because the hotel manager had indicated that he’d hurt his arm or finger when he grabbed and threw my phone, that if we were to make a statement he could do the same about that and we wouldn’t be able to leave.
“It was a no-win situation. There was no help and we just felt so alone.”
In a statement given to the BBC, the Catalan police said they “responded to the request of Ms Crowl at the hotel and went to the incident, but none of the affected parties wanted to make a report.”
They also rejected suggestions they had not offered Crowl help.
Furthermore, The Blue Sea Montevista Hawai hotel, where Crowl was staying, said to the BBC that they were “aware of the incident and were awaiting any police and judicial proceedings, if necessary, while collaborating to clarify the facts.”
