FA Cup Fallout: Pitch Invasion and Aguero
It was disappointing to see Manchester City go out with a lacklustre way Monday night. What was more disappointing was the scenes after the final whistle. I understand that emotions are running high after the game, and it was a major scalp for the lower league side, but no trophy was won that night.
Questions should be asked about the security of the players at these venues. With Sergio Aguero allegedly verbally and physically assaulted in the aftermath. Thousands of fans flooded onto the field as the players were leaving, with cameras picking up a swing from Aguero.
An altercation which, on the face of it, looked poor from the Argentinian. However, as we now know, pictures can be deceiving. After being informed he will not be subject to FA punishment, Sergio was reminded of his responsibilities, but is available for Sunday.
It certainly will not be the end of the affair though, with the FA looking for statements from both City and Wigan. And not just this incident, but the melee which ensued after the red card. Both clubs have until February 26th to respond, and Wigan have stated they would launch an investigation. Talking after the game Jonathan Jackson, the Wigan Chief Executive, said this;
"Whilst we appreciate that the vast majority of supporters who ran on to the pitch did so spontaneously to celebrate a famous victory, we were disappointed with the action of a minority of supporters who acted in an inappropriate manner.Player and staff safety is of paramount importance and we will conduct a full investigation."
Hopefully that will include a ban for the guy who spat at Sergio. In any case, it appears now that the player himself will be looking into legal action. It is certainly something which needs to be done, especially if the club fails to take action.
Spitting on someone is an assault, and players need to be able to play the game without the threat of physical assault. The security at the DW has been questioned, but I’m not sure any ground could stop fans when they want to invade a field of play. Player safety does have to be paramount though, and you never know what intentions there are when a fan is running toward you.
Ninety-nine times out of one hundred it’s good-natured and raw emotion, but that one time, it could get nasty. Patrice Evra was fired from Marseille after kicking his own fan who had encroached close to the pitch, hurling abuse.