David Warner's wife, Candice, has revealed that she was on the receiving end of "vile abuse" in front of her daughters during recently concluded Day/Night Adelaide Test against West Indies. The incident traumatised Candice to an extent that now she feels that it is “unsafe” for her to support David when he plays.
“Saturday afternoon at Adelaide Oval, just before the lunch break, the girls wanted to see their dad,” said Candice on Triple M's Summer Breakfast show she hosted with Harley Breen and Tom Tilley. “So we went from one area of Adelaide Oval to the other. It was probably about 200m.
“In that time, I had two of my three daughters, my eight-year-old and my three-year-old, we were walking hand-in-hand, and as we’re walking past a huge group of people, it was a group of five or six men who just started throwing vile abuse at me.
“I continued to walk and then I just stopped and I looked around at this group of men and it was one guy in particular. And they were laughing and they were pointing. And they thought what they did was okay.
“So I decided to confront them. I didn’t have to, but with my girls in my hands, I thought it was really important to confront them because for us, my actions need to mirror the messages I give to my kids.
“So I confronted them and like any group of men who have been drinking, they were weak, they were gutless, they didn’t own up to what they did and the man who was actual yelling this abuse was hiding behind his friend.”
Candice was asked to elaborate her encounter with the fans and what she said while confronting them over abusive behaviour.
“I said ‘Do you feel good about yourself, trying to intimidate me, to belittle me, embarrass me in front of my kids? You clearly don’t have kids yourself, it’s not okay. It’s not okay to bully someone, it’s not okay to make fun of other people’,” she said.
“The thing that disappointed me was, one, the fact they thought it was funny, two, that they couldn’t own up to their mistake, but the fact that in a packed stadium, when they could see a mother with two kids clearly in distress, my girls were upset, not one single person came to my assistance. Not one.
“The sad thing is that in a time when we’re trying to encourage more women, more girls to participate in sport, to attend sport, that I’m now starting to feel like it’s not safe for me and my kids to attend sport and support their father.”
Candice also revealed that one of the men in the ground apologised in a DM (Direct Message) on Instagram which said, “I didn't say anything, but I also didn’t speak out so I’m very sorry about that and I’m sorry he said what he said.
“I know this won’t make up for anything but I just wanted to say sorry.”
Candice also said that she has to be "the mother and the father" to the daughters as the Australian opener is mostly away playing international cricket and franchise cricket.
“Darling, you’ve got to understand, this is not okay. We won’t tolerate this, this is unacceptable no matter male, female, how big, you need to learn to stand up for yourself and this is why.
“What I was so surprised about was not one person who could see me, visibly upset, distressed and my two daughters and people were happy to just watch this. I know if it was the other way around, I would definitely go and see what’s going on.
“Now we go to the cricket and I’m starting to feel like it’s an unsafe place for me and my kids to be at.“
'Not safe for me and my kids to support David': Candice Warner narrates mortifying abuse from Adelaide crowd
David Warner's wife, Candice, has revealed that she was on the receiving end of "vile abuse" in front of her daughters during recently concluded Day/Night Adelaide Test against West Indies.
SportsTak
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