West Ham United player 'racially abused' during gala brawl, says Sullivan

West Ham's troubled season reached a new low as a 'racist' fan sparked an angry brawl at the club's end-of-season dinner on Monday night.

Police were called to the event at London's Grosvenor House hotel in Park Lane as security guards struggled to break up the fight at the £275-a-head event.

Witnesses said the ugly scenes were sparked when striker Demba Ba allegedly refused to sign an autograph for a guest.

Tables were overturned, bottles smashed, and punches and kicks thrown before the unruly supporters were removed from the room.

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan claimed striker Ba was racially abused by a drunken fan during the dinner.

Sullivan told Sky Sports News: "The whole incident has been blown out of all proportion. It was one individual that had too much to drink, sadly a problem in British society. A player was racially abused by the same drunken supporter which is totally unacceptable. Sadly one drunken supporter has let the club down."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'We were called at 9.15pm to reports of a disturbance at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane. Officers attended. There were no offences alleged and no arrests.'

The incident was an unwelcome distraction for the club who on Sunday were relegated from the Barclays Premier League after defeat at Wigan and sacked Avram Grant.

Martin O'Neill remains the club's preferred choice to replace Grant but Norwich City's Paul Lambert, Cardiff's Dave Jones as well as Sam Allardyce and Steve McClaren are also believed to be in the frame.