Poo-gate scandal at Brighton in Crystal Palace dressing room

Brighton's Amex stadium. Pic: Google

Brighton’s Amex stadium. Pic: Google

Crystal Palace had more than one of the most skilful sides in the Championship and the tactics of highly respected manager Gus Poyet to deal with on Monday May 13 as a national newspaper has revealed that their away dressing room in the Amex stadium had been defiled by human defecation.

For a number of reasons Brighton Palace encounters have developed a grudge factor and tension that seems to belie the geographical distance between Croydon and the south coast seaside resort, but it is reported that the insult to a visiting professional team has provoked Poyet into sending an angry internal email to the club’s staff.

The police may be called in to investigate the incident.

The email was leaked to the Sun newspaper which headlined its story “Poodunnit?”  and has been reproduced widely in this morning’s media. It coincides with the row over a “pig’s head” found in a player’s locker at the Stoke City stadium.

Poyet was suspended by his club May 16.  It is not known if  the email has anything to do with it.

It is reported that he wrote: “For some reason, someone had access to the away dressing room and done something terrible, trying to upset everyone related to Palace. To say it in clear English, someone had a ‘poo’ all outside the toilets, over and around the toilets.”

Brighton and Hove Albion FC conduct tours of their new Amex Stadium: Pic seagulls.co.uk

Brighton and Hove Albion FC conduct tours of their new Amex Stadium: Pic seagulls.co.uk

“I am angry that someone within this club could endanger our good reputation and stoop so low. I would like someone to accept responsibility and resign,” he allegedly said.

It is also said he complained about the distribution of 28,000 paper clappers to home fans.

It is understood the human excrement was left in the away dressing room toilet floor and shower area.

The Eagles were clearly not phased or undermined by the indignity of their dressing room facilities being left in such a state, nor indeed affected by the cacophony of thousands of paper clappers. They won 2 nil.

And Crystal Palace are more interested in preparing for their Wembley final championship play-off with Watford on Monday May 27 and thanking Kevin Keegan for entertaining hundreds of guests at Palace’s traditional end of season Sporting Dinner Thursday night.

Palace manager Ian Holloway has a weekly column in the Croydon Advertiser and while writing about the game on Friday he did not make any reference to the excrement incident though he did say the team had to deal with other issues.

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