A MURAL which caused widespread upset among Albion fans has been removed.
Singer Ricardo Gold sparked uproar on social media when an advert for his new song, Body Language, was painted on top of a longstanding mural of former Albion club captain Bruno.
The giant mural, on the side of Gelato Gusto in Church Street, Brighton, disappeared last week. It was just days before Bruno retired following Albion’s final game of the season against Manchester City.
The mural showed Bruno wearing a crown. The man himself said: “To be honest, when that mural came, I couldn’t even walk around there because I was so embarrassed.
“Of course, it’s just so special. I know that the mural is not there any more and a lot of people are trying to... it’s crazy, really.
“It means a lot. I am really thankful and I will always be thankful with this city.”
Fans were outraged over its disappearance and a petition was started to have it reinstated.
But now Ricardo’s painting itself has gone and the wall is blank.
The singer, from London, who was there while it was being painted over, said it was only meant to be temporary.
He said: “It was only meant to be up during The Great Escape Festival. I had a professional contract and now the festival is over it’s being taken down.”
But Ricardo may have got more publicity than he bargained for – many Brighton fans criticised him via Twitter.
He said he never meant to cause any harm. He said: “It wasn’t ever done in a negative way. I didn’t know who Bruno was when it was painted over. It was only after I saw the response online. I was getting death threats and all sorts.”
It is not yet known whether there will be a new mural on the wall.
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