A man who allegedly made racist monkey gestures at a black footballer during a local derby match has been found dead just hours later.
The Chester FC supporter was seen on camera apparently gesturing towards Warrington Town player Bohan Dixon after a teammate scored.
Objects were also thrown onto the field during ugly scenes at Cal.Delivery Stadium during Saturday’s National League North game in front of 2,296 fans.
Video footage was then circulated on social media and discussed among fans, with one posting an image claiming to be of the man, who has not been identified.
Chester initially said it was ‘angry and appalled by an alleged case of racism’ and would share its video and photographic evidence with Cheshire Police.
The club added: ‘Racism has no place in sport or society and anyone exhibiting such behavior will be banned from attending matches indefinitely.’
Chester also condemned ‘the actions of a minority who are unable to behave responsibly’ and said the team now faces an investigation from the Football Association.
But in a shocking development, the club announced this morning that ‘it is with sadness that Chester FC has been informed of the tragic death of the person involved’ and ‘the immediate thoughts of everyone at the club are with his family and friends. ‘
Cheshire Police confirmed the man would be ‘spoken to at a later date’ before he died in Flint, North Wales yesterday – with no suspicious circumstances.
A man among Chester FC fans was seen on camera making an alleged monkey gesture towards Warrington Town player Bohan Dixon after his side scored on Saturday
The man could be seen making racist monkey gestures as he watched the goal
The man stood among 900 Chester fans at Warrington Town’s ground on Saturday
The incident occurred as Dixon celebrated his team’s opening goal in front of the 900 Chester fans after Connor Woods had scored from the penalty spot.
The goal came in the 73rd minute but Warrington captain Josh Amis was subsequently sent off for violent conduct and Harrison Burke scored a Chester equalizer in the 85th.
The 1–1 result left Warrington in 18th place in the 24-team league, three points above the relegation zone. Chester are now seventh, just within the play-off places.
The non-league clubs are separated by just 20 miles and the attendance was thought to be a Warrington record for a regular league match.
Liverpool-born Dixon, 35, spent six seasons at Warrington before leaving for Macclesfield Town in February, but then returned to Warrington in the summer.
The Chester FC supporter was seen on camera appearing to gesture towards Warrington Town player Bohan Dixon (file photo)
Chester FC’s first tweet yesterday about the incident of alleged racism
A new tweet from Chester FC this morning confirmed that the fan had died
The incident took place on Saturday at Cal.Delivery Stadium in Warrington (file photo)
A spokeswoman for Cheshire Police told MailOnline: ‘During the match between Warrington FC and Chester FC on Saturday 30 November, police were informed of a racially aggravated public order offence.
“The suspect had been identified and the matter would be discussed at a later date.
‘Sadly, it has been reported that the man passed away at an address in Flint on Sunday, December 1. There are no suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”
Police added that the matter had been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) ‘as per standard procedure’.
MailOnline has contacted the IOPC for comment.
Chester FC said it had no further comment on the matter.
The cause of death of the deceased fan has not been confirmed.