West Ham forward Michail Antonio crashed his Lamborghini into the bin shed of a family home while dressed as a snowman on Christmas Day.
Police and fire services were called to the address in Balham, south London, after the 29-year-old drove in to the house’s front garden in the early hours of Wednesday evening.
It is claimed smoke was coming from the super car after it collided with the bin shed and sent bricks and debris towards the front door.
West Ham attacker Michail Antonio crashed his car into the garden of a house in south London
The 29-year-old was dressed as a snowman following club training in the morning
Antonio did not suffer any injuries from the collision and was fit to play 24 hours later
Though the West Ham striker reportedly had passengers in the car, neither he – nor anyone else at the scene – was hurt after he came off the road and allegedly hit a road sign.
It’s understood Antonio was on his way to the West Ham team hotel ahead of Thursday’s clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The forward, who grew up nearby and began his career at Tooting and Mitcham United, started the 2-1 defeat.
Despite his tumultuous 24 hours, he played the full 90 minutes and set up Robert Snodgrass for the visitors’ only goal.
However his and West Ham’s preparations for the crucial Premier League clash were brought to a crashing halt when he disrupted one family’s celebrations as they were in their living room, preparing to enjoy Christmas dinner.
The incident occurred in Balham but no one was reported to be injured following it
‘I just heard this massive bang and the whole house shook. There are two bin sheds out there and they’re both bricks, and they went everywhere,’ one family member Kia Rosina told The Athetic.
‘We thought the driver was going to be hurt really badly because it didn’t look good.’
Her mother added: ‘I put my arm around him (Antonio) because I was worried. I called the police and I asked for all the services, ambulance and fire brigade, because my main concern was that it was petrol and everyone would have to get out of the house because a lot of smoke was coming from his car. So I was fearing the worst like, “What if the car blows up?”
‘He (Antonio) was on the phone shouting to someone saying he was all right. He kept saying, “Don’t keep telling me I’m stupid” to the person on the phone (and saying), “You should be asking me if I’m all right”. (It seemed like) the person on the phone kept having a go at him.’
Antonio went on to feature in the Hammers’ 2-1 defeat by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park
Reports also suggested Antonio left without apologising – or confirming whether he would cover the damage to the bin sheds and front garden.
But it is understood that the forward will be taking care of any costs needed for repairs.
Earlier on Christmas day, the forward uploaded a photo to Instagram which showed him wearing a snowman outfit – fit with orange nose – after having trained with his West Ham team-mates on Christmas morning.
He also posted a video of him singing ‘Walking in the air’, the popular song from the 1982 film, ‘The Snowman’.
‘Michail AnSnownio Man! Merry Christmas everyone,’ the forward posted alongside the photo.
West Ham are not investigating the incident, and neither are the police, who reportedly didn’t leave the scene until around 10pm on Christmas day.
The badly-damaged Lamborghini was seen being lifted from the scene late on Christmas night, with the bonnet open and dents visible near the passenger-side door. Debris was still reportedly visible as West Ham’s difficult season took another turn for the worse.
‘Police were called to Nightingale Lane, Balham, at 18.36hrs on Wednesday, 25 December to reports of a car crashed into a garden. Officers attended and a Lamborghini car was found at the scene,’ a Metropolitan Police statement read.
‘It was reported that it had left the road and crashed into a road sign and a garden wall. The driver did not require hospital treatment. There were no other reported injuries. There is no police investigation.’
Antonio reportedly left the scene without apologising but will be covering the costs
The London Fire Brigade also confirmed they were called to the address.
Thursday’s defeat by Crystal Palace leaves Manuel Pellegrini’s side just a point above the relegation zone.
The West Ham manager was not asked about Antonio’s crash after his side threw away another lead at Selhurst Park.
Snodgrass’ goal had put them on course for a crucial three points, only for goals from Jordan Ayew and Cheikhou Kouyate to secure victory for Crystal Palace.