DAY THAT SHAMED OUR GAME
Birmingham fan runs on pitch to punch Grealish police Blues pledge to ban him for life Villa
FOOTBALL’S reputation was in the gutter last night after a thuggish Birmingham City fan ran on to the pitch and threw a cowardly punch at Jack Grealish during the Second City derby. Grealish was sent sprawling as the fan, named locally as Paul Mitchell, 27, assaulted the Aston Villa captain, catching him on the side of the head.
Players from both sides sprang to Grealish’s aid before the fan was dragged off the field by stewards.
Sickeningly, a vocal number of Birmingham supporters cheered the attacker, who blew kisses to the St Andrew’s crowd as he was led away.
The fan was arrested by West Midlands Police and taken into custody. Birmingham, who have pledged to ban the fan for life, will work with police over any criminal charges.
Villa manager Dean Smith condemned the attacker as a ‘mindless
moron’ and criticised as ‘disgraceful’ the Birmingham supporters who applauded the assailant as he left the pitch.
And in yesterday’s Premier League match at the Emirates, a supporter ran on to the pitch after Arsenal scored a penalty to shove Manchester United defender Chris Smalling. Stewards led the man away. He was later arrested.
Grealish responded to the attack on him by scoring the only goal of the game in the second half to keep Villa in contention for the play- offs and he celebrated with particular glee, jumping the hoardings to be submerged by Villa fans.
One steward reacted by shoving Grealish aggressively, appearing to force a knee into the 23-year-old’s back, and he was then led away by police, too.
Birmingham believe the steward was only moving in to defuse the situation but were awaiting news from police.
The club was unequivocal in condemning the violence from one of their supporters.
‘Birmingham City Football Club would like to apologise to Jack Grealish and Aston Villa Football Club for an incident in this afternoon’s derby match,’ said a statement.
‘We deplore the behaviour of the individual who committed this act and rest assured he will be banned from St Andrew’s for life. The club will also support any further punishment this individual may face in the eyes of the law.
‘The club will be working with the relevant authorities to investigate all the circumstances and we will be reviewing our stadium safety procedures.
‘What happened has no place in football or society. Jack is a Birmingham lad and regardless of club allegiance should not have been subjected to this. There are no excuses.’
Grealish showed remarkable character to continue playing after the 10th-minute incident, scoring with a low shot from the edge of the area and afterwards he revelled in his role. ‘It’s the best day of my life,’ he said. ‘To come here for the first time, captain Aston Villa and score the winner — it’s what dreams are made of, being an Aston Villa fan.’
On the attack, he said: ‘I think we had a corner. I was walking into position and I just felt a whack around the side of the face.
‘There’s rivalry in football but I don’t think there is any place for that. I just tried to get on with my job in the end and I think I did.’
Villa boss Smith said: ‘It should never happen at a football game, whether it be local derby or not. Security should be better, it’s why we kick off at 12pm on a Sunday to keep them out of the pub.
‘Unfortunately, some mindless moron has gone on the pitch and attacked Jack and then you’ve got 15,000 idiots clapping him as well, which is disgraceful. Unfortunately we need to educate society.
‘The players’ safety is paramount. They’re going on the pitch to entertain the fans. I’m all for local rivalry but there’s got to be a line drawn after this.
‘He’s matured an awful lot and I thought the way he handled the whole thing was excellent.’
On Grealish’s goal, Smith said: ‘One of the lads said there was a steward looking to have a go as well. It’s laughable, really. Something needs to be done and I’m sure the authorities will deal with it as they should do.’
Birmingham manager Garry Monk described the fan attack as an ‘idiotic act’ and said: ‘The guy that has done it needs to be punished severely and given the ultimate punishment because that cannot happen on a football pitch.’
A Villa statement said the club was ‘appalled’ by what happened to Grealish, adding: ‘A red line has been crossed by this cowardly on-field assault on a player, which is unprecedented in English football.
‘We trust the perpetrator will feel the full force of the law and the authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding today’s deplorable incident.
‘As we are sure our friends at Birmingham City would agree, to have a player’s personal safety placed under such jeopardy is a serious cause for concern for the entire football community.’
The game reacted with unanimous condemnation.
Graeme Souness called the individual a ‘village idiot’, adding: ‘It’s such a sad thing to see. What has possessed him to do that?’
Gary Neville said: ‘As a deterrent there has to be a huge punishment for Birmingham City. If that comes into football we’ll have fences around the ground again. I think that’s a really serious problem that needs nipping in the bud.’
Sportsmail columnist Jamie Redknapp recalled the 2002 incident at the same stadium when a Birmingham fan slapped Villa goalkeeper Peter Enckelman. He suggested future clashes between the Birmingham rivals might have to be played behind closed doors.
‘They’ve tried to change the kickoff to stop people drinking too much but you’re still getting this problem, it’s disgusting,’ he said. ‘That fixture will probably have to be played behind closed doors for the foreseeable future.’
Raheem Sterling praised Grealish for scoring, tweeting: ‘ Karma at its best, well done Jack.’
Former Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov praised Grealish’s ‘passion, desire and class’, adding: ‘ You stood up and responded in the right manner! Proud of you, Jacko.’
An FA statement read: ‘It is a criminal offence to enter the field of play and we will be working with the police, the relevant authorities and the club to ensure the appropriate action is taken.’
An EFL spokesman said: ‘It’s a situation no player should ever be faced with.’
The PFA said: ‘There needs to be a full inquiry to ascertain why in a fixture with such a charged history, a fan was able to run on to the pitch virtually unchallenged and assault a player.
‘The PFA is concerned that we’ve seen elements of this type of behaviour coming back into the game, with several high-profile crowd- related issues this season.
‘Today’s attack follows a similar incident in the Scottish Premiership on Friday, when a fan confronted Rangers’ captain James Tavernier.
‘Incidents like this demonstrate that players can be particularly vulnerable.’