CAN FOOTBALL SINK ANY LOWER?
Outrage as thug races on to pitch to punch player
FOOTBALL fans and pundits expressed fury yesterday after a fan ran on to the pitch during a Championship game and attacked a player from behind.
Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish was knocked to the ground by a supporter of local rivals Birmingham City who had sprinted past stewards.
Grealish, 23, went on to score the winning goal in a 1-0 victory.
But he then appeared to be kicked by a steward as he was celebrating the goal at City’s ground, St Andrew’s, and was later targeted by internet trolls over the death of his brother nearly two decades ago.
Police are investigating posts about nine-month-old Keelan, who died from cot death when Grealish was four.
City said Grealish’s attacker – named as Paul Mitchell, 27, a former pub manager – would be banned for life.
He was in police custody last night after being arrested on suspicion of encroachment on to the pitch and assault.
The incident on the pitch happened just nine minutes into the game.
Mitchell sprinted from the stands before taking a swipe with his clenched fist at Grealish from behind, but only managed to catch the player on the side of his head with his forearm.
Stunned Grealish fell to the ground before a steward and players from both sides restrained his attacker, who was cheered by other City fans. Mitchell, who is understood to live in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, with his partner and young son, blew kisses to the crowd as he was led away by security staff.
The game was televised live on Sky Sports, where pundit Lee Hendrie – a former Aston Villa midfielder – said: ‘I’m all for the rivalry, but that is literally the worst thing I’ve seen on a football pitch.
‘A fan running on to the pitch and taking someone out, that could have been anything. There’s knife crime... anything could have happened out there.’
City said of Mitchell: ‘Rest assured he will be banned for life.’
Villa said a ‘red line has been crossed by this cowardly on-field assault’.
Grealish was later subjected to abuse by trolls over the death of Keelan. One, using the name Alfie Perkins, posted a photograph on Twitter of the boy’s headstone with the message: ‘Grealish went down quicker than his brother got lowered into the grave.’
City could have points docked over the incident. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville tweeted: ‘The club are going [to] have to take a huge punishment for this. A points deduction or empty stadium for ten games!’ In an ugly day for football, another fan attacked a Manchester United player during their Premier League match against Arsenal, running on to the pitch and shoving England defender Chris Smalling before being escorted off by stewards.
He was arrested on suspicion of common assault and pitch invasion at Arsenal’s ground, the Emirates Stadium in north London.