A man has been charged with attacking Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish on the pitch during a Championship match at Birmingham City.
Grealish was struck by a man who ran on to the pitch about 10 minutes into Sunday's derby.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Friday, a man was arrested after Rangers' James Tavernier was confronted during the Scottish Premiership draw with Hibs.
Sky News sports editor Nick Powell says “a part of football died” when Grealish was attacked, adding: “Things will never feel quite the same again.” The Mirror talks of a “Derby Day of Shame” while The Times describes it as a “dark day for English football”.
The Times’s chief football writer Henry Winter says: “The authorities cannot allow a copycat escalation. Their action has to be robust.” The Daily Star describes the attacker as a “coward”.
Following the attack, Villa captain Grealish sat on the St Andrew's pitch before being helped up by players from both teams. He was able to continue and scored the winner in the 67th minute.
The Football Association said it “strongly condemned the incident”, promising that it would be “working with the police, the relevant authorities and the club to ensure the appropriate action is taken”.
Birmingham City apologised to Grealish and Villa. It added that it would be reviewing its stadium safety procedures.
Arsenal apologised to Smalling and said it will be “working closely with the Metropolitan Police in their investigation”.
Hibernian chief executive Leeann Dempster described himself as “raging and furious” after Friday’s incident, vowing that “nothing is off the table” in response.
-
5 cinematic cartoons about Bezos betting big on 'Melania'Cartoons Artists take on a girlboss, a fetching newspaper, and more
-
The fall of the generals: China’s military purgeIn the Spotlight Xi Jinping’s extraordinary removal of senior general proves that no-one is safe from anti-corruption drive that has investigated millions
-
Why the Gorton and Denton by-election is a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’Talking Point Reform and the Greens have the Labour seat in their sights, but the constituency’s complex demographics make messaging tricky
-
Who is to blame for Maccabi Tel Aviv fan-ban blunder?Today’s Big Question MPs call for resignation of West Midlands Police chief constable over ‘dodgy’ justification of ban from Aston Villa match, but role of Birmingham Safety Advisory Group also under scrutiny
-
Amorim follows Maresca out of Premier League after ‘awful’ seasonIn the Spotlight Manchester United head coach sacked after dismal results and outburst against leadership, echoing comments by Chelsea boss when he quit last week
-
New Trafford: can it fix Manchester United's footballing problems?Talking Point Plan for £2 billion stadium despite staff job losses and lack of success on the pitch
-
Denis Law obituary: fond farewell to 'the King of the Stretford End'In the Spotlight Scottish footballer who was one of Manchester United's 'Holy Trinity' has died aged 84
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten HagTalking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium earlyTalking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
-
Manchester United and Mason Greenwood: duty of care or double standards?Talking Point The 21-year-old footballer’s possible return has provoked an outpouring of dismay from supporters
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictionsfeature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
