Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson was involved in a foul mouthed confrontation with stewards at Stoke City’s Bet365 Stadium after the full time whistle in the 2-1 defeat, according to journalist Phil Hay.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reporter claims on his personal Twitter account that the Swedish defender, who had been sent off for two yellow cards in the Whites’ loss, become embroiled in a clash with the staff at the Potteries as he tried to give his shirt to fans.
Stewards order Jansson to go down the tunnel. Jansson tells them to go forth and multiply and throws his shirt into the away end instead. Then pushes a stewards as he walks into the tunnel. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) January 19, 2019
It is stated that the stewards told Jansson to go down the tunnel but that he launched an expletive at the stewards – Hay choosing a rather more democratic choice of terminology to explain the situation – before throwing his shirt in the away end and pushing a steward before heading towards the dressing room.
Opinion
Jansson had already been handed his marching orders and this is only going to make matters worse. As a footballer you simply cannot be getting involved in any sort of physical confrontation with anyone, let alone a member of the away club’s staff. A sending off for two yellow cards only holds a one game ban but these scenes after the game could well compound the club’s issues right now and see him banned for even longer. Jansson has already shown a tendency to lose his temper – fans at Elland Road will no doubt remember his rant over the refereeing live on Sky Sports earlier this season – and he has put himself at risk on a disciplinary level with this incident. No one could blame the EFL if they chose to impose a lengthier ban on the Swede’s head and it would be a real blow to the club’s hopes of success over the coming weeks if that were the case. Expect an inquest into things in the not too distant future.