FA Cup coin incidents: football has a 'serious problem'

The FA Cup fifth round was soured by two incidents of coin throwing this weekend, one of which left West Bromwich Albion's Chris Brunt nursing a cut below his eye.

The midfielder was struck by a coin hurled by one of his own fans after the team's 3-1 defeat to Reading on Saturday. The player to be restrained and the incident sparked a furious response from the club. Pictures of the fan said to be responsible have been passed to police.

Supporters have rallied round Brunt, reports the Daily Telegraph, and have suggested tossing cash into buckets for a charity of his choice at Saturday's home game against Crystal Palace. They also plan to chant Brunt's name during the 11th minute of the match - he wears the number 11 shirt.

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The second incident came during Chelsea's match against Man City on Sunday, with the visitors being pelted by a variety of objects after David Faupala's equaliser at Stamford Bridge. Referee Andre Marriner could be seen picking coins from the turf and a man was later arrested for throwing a cigarette lighter onto the pitch.

Chelsea condemned "such idiotic and dangerous behaviour" and said that the culprits, if identified, would be banned for life.

"It's worth noting it's a criminal offence, too, and we will support any police prosecution if we can identify, along with the police, those individuals responsible for that behaviour today," added the club.

Claims that the actions were those of a tiny minority cut little ice with Matthew Syed in The Times.

"The next time you watch a big match on television, press the pause button when an opposition throw-in is about to be taken. You will notice a backdrop of hundreds of fans, a large section of whom are giving crude hand signals, shouting expletives, faces distorted with synthetic hatred," he says.

It is a sad reflection on the game that fans "transmogrify into foul-mouthed yobs" when the action begins and brushing off such incidents "stops us from asking why at football, almost uniquely among mass entertainment events, vitriol has such currency".

Football, he says, has a "serious problem" highlighted by the coin-throwing incidents. Tribalism has become "grotesquely distorted" and the trend for fans to abuse their own is the result of "ever larger quantities of spite" among supporters.