Sky Sports commentator and pundit Gary Neville has blasted the man who invaded the pitch during Arsenal’s win over Manchester United and demanded that punishment be taken against the Gunners.
The Emirates Stadium saw an individual approach United’s Chris Smalling after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty before heading over to the Arsenal players to celebrate, before being dragged off by stewards.
On a day where Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish was attacked by another pitch invader, Neville insisted that the clubs need to be punished as well as the so-called fans.
On commentary duty at the Emirates Stadium for Sky Sports Main Event, he said: “We mentioned the fan going to Chris Smalling. Absolute numpty.
“At Birmingham earlier on today I said they have to be punished for it and Arsenal do for that as well. I was watching the Rangers game at Hibs Friday night and fans think they can get away with it, clubs think they can get away with it.
“(Are banning orders sufficient?) Absolutely not. The fan getting banned or punished is a given but there has to be a deterrent.”
Opinion
What has gotten into football supporters of late? As Neville points out, we have had a weekend where there have been three notable pitch invasions from the stands, the Rangers and Aston Villa incidents perhaps showcasing the worst that fans have to offer. It is completely inexcusable and it seems as though the punishment of a ban for the individual involved is not enough to deter them from acting up. Would a punishment to the club be enough? A financial penalty would not really impact the offenders but perhaps seeing their side forced to play games behind closed doors, or even a points deduction if it happens more than a couple of times a season, would get them to buck up their ideas. It is a difficult situation because it is in no way the club’s fault and there is little more that can be done without building barricades or putting the game behind nets. Sunday was a sad day for English football and something has got to be done to stamp this increasing problem from the game.