David Warner’s wife and former ironwoman Candice Falzon, who recently attended the second Test match between Australia and West Indies in Adelaide, faced “vile abuse” by a section of fans.
Reacting to the appalling behaviour, Mrs Warner said that she now feels cricket is an “unsafe place” for her and her family. While speaking on Triple M’s Summer Breakfast, Candice made a stunning revelation. She said that the shocking incident took place at the Adelaide Oval during the first session of play on Saturday when her three little daughters wished to see their father, who was representing Australia on the field.
“Saturday afternoon at Adelaide Oval, just before the lunch break, the girls wanted to see their dad. 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 added.
When asked how she reacted to the fans’ comments, Candice explained, “I said [to them] ‘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’.
“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.”
It has been a tough week for David and his family as the veteran opener has withdrawn his appeal for the captaincy ban review, mentioning that his wife and kids are more important to him than cricket after the legal counsel humiliated him and his family.
