Vale fan who chased referee is grabbed by club staff
A PORT VALE fan had to be tackled by coaching staff after chasing a referee off the pitch during Vale’s 1-0 defeat by League One leaders Portsmouth.
Referee Craig Hicks, who minutes earlier had awarded Portsmouth a penalty which Colby Bishop scored for the only goal of the game, had to sprint for safety as the angry fan charged across the pitch towards him.
Hicks was protected by members of staff as Vale boss Andy Crosby and his assistant David Dunn collared the fan.
The incident happened in front of pop star Robbie Williams, who was named as Vale’s new club president this week.
Port Vale later released a statement condemning the actions of the fan and vowing to ban him.
It read: ‘Port Vale condemn the actions of the individual during (the) match against Portsmouth.
‘We will work with the relevant authorities to ensure the matter and the individual are dealt with.
‘We remind all supporters that entering the field of play is a criminal offence.’
The Football League and referees’ body the PGMOL later issued a joint statement saying: ‘We condemn the mindless actions of the individual involved. Match officials should never feel threatened for their safety when playing a pivotal role in the staging of games in our competitions. We will provide our full support to Craig and his team alongside Port Vale and the relevant authorities as they seek to bring this individual to justice.’
Portsmouth remain top of League One, though manager John Mousinho was more concerned with the fan’s actions afterwards. ‘It was a really unsavoury incident,’ he said.