BBC pundit Chris Sutton has posted a message on Twitter after it was reported that Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister had been assaulted and put in hospital.
The Daily Record reported that McAllister had been in Leeds after watching Rangers manager Steven Gerrard play at Anfield in a Liverpool legends match.
He was waiting for a taxi in Leeds on Saturday night when he was attacked and punched in the face. He was in hospital from 3am until noon and required stitches.
Sutton said on his personal Twitter page, “This is disgraceful…”
This is disgraceful… https://t.co/jNyGCQ7LJd
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) March 25, 2019
OPINION
The report claims that McAllister was attacked purely because he was a former footballer and it beggars belief that you can’t walk round a city without being attacked without any provocation just because you’re recognised. There’s been a number of serious incidents involving football fans on the pitch recently, with Jack Grealish getting knocked to the ground by a fan. Unfortunately, it seems that any publicity of these incidents just seems to attract copycats, and violence is a problem that has continually plagued football in particular. It’s worth noting that this didn’t happen in Scotland, but in Leeds where McAllister played for six years. The incident is now in police hands and we hope the perpetrator is found and tough action taken against him. As far as the wider problem, something needs to be done for football or it risks sinking back into the bad old days of the 70s and 80s.