Wayne Lineker has only himself to blame for being attacked, an Ibiza politician claims, as he slams the club owner for promoting ‘excesses and drunkenness’ in his anti-tourism tirade.

By William On Jun 14, 2024

A Spanish politician has suggested that Wayne Lineker held only himself responsible for the Ibiza street attack in which he was knocked unconscious in an extraordinary attack on the British club owner.

Antonio Lorenzo said he was sorry for what happened to the 62-year-old father of four, but took a swipe at the club owner for promoting “excesses and drunkenness” on the party island.

Lineker was sidelined for six minutes after being punched in the face at the San Antonio party resort. It’s clear he was trying to protect a girlfriend who was being harassed.

But the left-wing politician, leader of the opposition PSOE party at San Antonio City Hall, then linked the attack to the type of tourism promoted by the brother of former England footballer and TV pundit Gary Lineker.

In an unqualified attack on Wayne, whose club O Beach Ibiza is a magnet for party-loving Brits, he claimed the charismatic entrepreneur was a victim of his ‘offering of excesses and drunkenness’.

A Spanish politician has claimed that Wayne Lineker held only himself responsible for the Ibiza street attack (seen in this grab from footage of the incident), in which he was knocked unconscious in an extraordinary attack on the British club owner.

The club owner was knocked unconscious for about five minutes when a woman came to help

Lorenzo also used Wednesday morning’s horror attack to attack the right-wing People’s Party, which won a landslide victory in last year’s municipal elections and has more than double the number of councilors than the PSOE.

The opposition leader from San Antonio attacked Lineker in a 50-word tirade about X.

This came as the club owner admitted on Instagram that the images of the attack he suffered had left him ‘disturbed’ and that he felt ‘very lucky’ to have escaped with only stitches and a swollen lip.

Mr. Lorenzo, who describes himself online as a “socialist in heart and mind,” said: “I am sorry for the attack on Wayne Lineker in San Antonio, and for every other attack that is taking place.

“This won’t be solved with more security, it will be solved with a change in the tourism model that doesn’t currently exist.

“Lineker has become a victim of his offer of excesses and drunkenness that the People’s Party allows.”

He linked his post to a local newspaper article about the attack on Wayne, which happened shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday near Eden nightclub in San Antonio.

The article describes the British entrepreneur as a ‘party enthusiast known for entertaining celebrities, especially footballers’ at O Beach Ibiza.

Scottish expat Calvin Scoular, a bar manager from Ibiza, responded to Mr Lorenzo’s post on X overnight by calling him an ‘idiot’.

There has so far been no response from Wayne or the San Antonio People’s Party to the shocking comments.

Wayne Lineker (pictured) posted this photo of himself with a cut under his lip after being punched in the face

Police in Ibiza said yesterday that Lineker has not yet laid any charges over the shocking abuse he suffered.

A reveler, believed to be a friend of the thug who knocked him out with his left fist, was filmed starting a WWE-style count as he lay unconscious on the ground.

Local police sources, whose officers are employed by San Antonio City Hall, said: “We went to the scene, but the victim of the attack was no longer there.

“No one has filed a formal complaint yet.”

The Guardia Civil, the other police force covering San Antonio, said yesterday there was no data on the incident.

Wayne said in his Instagram post yesterday: ‘I just wanted to write this message to let everyone know I’m doing well… I have a few stitches and a swollen lip.

‘It could have been a lot worse, so I consider myself very lucky that I wasn’t standing two meters further back because my head would have hit the wall.

“Obviously the video is very disturbing to watch, especially for my family.

The paperwork was very accurate and it was a simple case where I was just trying to protect a girl from being harassed. Thank you everyone for all your concerned messages. The support has been truly overwhelming.”

He added in a subsequent Instagram Live post, referring to his Ibiza-based friend Danny Onions: ‘Thank you everyone. Dumbfounded.

The Ocean Beach club owner is the younger brother of former England striker and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker

“A very special thank you to @dannyonions_ for caring for me for hours after the event took place, taking me to hospital and making sure I got home safe and well.”

Antonio Lorenzo boasted ahead of last year’s elections in San Antonio: “The PSOE will win the elections to put an end to cronyism, hand-picked contracts, à la carte urban planning and corruption.”

‘We need a progressive government so that we never again have to experience the shame of a councilor trying to legalize a swimming pool built without a permit, and so that the politicians who represent you do not treat you better or worse depending on your origin. which is on your national identity card.’

Lorenzo made headlines in December 2022 when he was forced to apologize after being caught driving under the influence in San Antonio.

Four points were deducted from his driving license and he had to pay a fine of 250 euros.

The politician, who became mayor at the last election despite the scandal, had drunk almost twice the legal alcohol limit in Spain when he was stopped at a police check.

He escaped prosecution because he was under the criminal limit – and his faux pas was treated as an administrative offence.

Mr Lorenzo tried to excuse his actions afterwards in a public apology, claiming he had just tried to change cars after a few drinks at a town hall dinner and had not felt drunk. When asked by the local press what alcohol he had consumed before the police check at six in the morning, he said: “Two glasses of wine with dinner and then a few beers.”

The politician, who is now trying to argue that Wayne Lineker should take some of the responsibility for the attack he has suffered over the drunken tourists he lures to the island, added after his drink-driving shame: ‘It is my first fine for something like this. , it’s the first time this has happened and it won’t happen again.

“What I did is not right and I am not at all proud of what happened.”

But he insisted this would not affect his bid to become mayor of San Antonio, saying, “My team has said they will support me. We will continue to work on our political project.”

Lorenzo’s comments about Lineker come amid growing anti-tourism sentiment in Spain.

Millions of people visit the Balearic Islands every year, including Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca, and millions more visit Spain as a whole.

Spain is even the second most visited country in the world after France.

But as numbers return to pre-pandemic levels, local residents say they feel their way of life is being threatened by issues such as overcrowding and a lack of affordable housing, with properties being used as holiday rentals instead.

Protesters are seen marching through Ibiza calling on the local government to impose restrictions on mass tourism to the island

Despite being a UNESCO World Heritage Site and despite officials working to promote the island as a family-friendly destination, Ibiza is best known for its nightlife and summer electronic dance music club scene.

In both Mallorca and Tenerife there have been several cases of anti-tourist graffiti on walls across the islands.

In April, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, calling on the government to tackle the issue of mass tourism.

A small group of those demonstrators took part in a hunger strike, which was called off after twenty days. The strikers said officials showed “zero interest” in their plight.

Similar protests have also been held in Mallorca and Ibiza, home of Lineker’s bar.

An action group called Prou Eivissa (Enough Ibiza) called on residents to take to the streets and protest against restrictions on tourism to the island.