Micah Richards rages at Leeds United incident v Newcastle United at Elland Road
Micah Richards has branded the behaviour of an Elland Road fan as “mindless” after Eddie Howe was confronted in his technical area during the 2-2 draw between Leeds United and Newcastle on Saturday (13 May).
Cameras caught the moment a member of the capacity crowd in West Yorkshire clambered over the fence, made his way up the touchline and managed to reach the Magpies manager unopposed before quickly being taken away afterwards.
Leeds United are set to face a Football Association investigation into the incident, and the fan has already been given a lifetime ban from the club, which Richards agreed with after his “unacceptable” behaviour. [The Guardian, 13 May]
“Leeds have rightly taken strong action against the fan that threatened Eddie Howe, by banning him for life,” he wrote in Daily Mail The Verdict [Monday 15 May, page 9].
“I have been worried about the safety of players and managers since Jack Grealish was punched by a Birmingham fan.
“A stand needed to be made against that mindless behaviour is unacceptable.”
Unacceptable
Fans and players should always feel safe while on the pitch, but this is always a reminder of what can happen and potentially what could have happened if the fan had other intentions.
For a stadium that holds thousands of people in it on a weekly basis, the security surrounding the pitch and the managers simply needs to be better.
The security guard who was supposed to be keeping an eye on Howe was remarkably watching the game when the fan charged up the touchline and was far too late to spot the issue.
Leeds United are quite right to give the fan a lifetime ban from the club as this behaviour isn’t acceptable, even if your team are in arrears.
As happened with Grealish in the Second City derby, this is yet another reminder of why security is of paramount importance at football matches throughout the football pyramid.
Hopefully, this incident will see extra emphasis placed on security across the grounds in English football.
In other Leeds United news, one Whites ace was “furious”, and a coach had told a Sky Sports pundit he had been “sulking”.