7 times footballers have confronted fans
There have been several heated exchanges between players and supporters over the years.
Eric Dier has been given a four-game ban for his altercation with a supporter after Tottenham’s FA Cup defeat to Norwich on March 4.
The Spurs player climbed into the lower tier of the West Stand at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to confront a fan who was arguing with his brother.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at other incidents where footballers have been involved in heated exchanges with fans.
Eric Cantona
Patrice Evra
During his brief stint at Marseille, former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra aimed a kick at one of his own fans ahead of a Europa League tie at Vitoria in November 2017. After the defender and his team-mates had been on the receiving end of abuse, he confronted the supporter, who along with other fans had scaled barriers to reach the advertising hoardings, and kicked him. He was sent off while UEFA banned him from its competitions for seven months and Marseille terminated Evra’s contract with immediate effect.
Sergio Aguero
Neymar
Ivelin Popov
Bulgaria captain Ivelin Popov was involved in a heated exchange with his own fans during a Euro 2020 qualifier against England in Sofia. After the home supporters had racially abused the Three Lions players, Popov went over to a section of the Bulgaria fans at half-time and remonstrated with them to stop. He was initially told to go away before he stood his ground and urged them to not continue with racist chants.
Granit Xhaka
Vincent Kompany
Anderlecht player-manager Vincent Kompany shouted at his own supporters in January 2020 after they threw a flare at Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. The ex-Manchester City defender reminded the fans Mignolet was a fellow Belgian and told them to stop. He received praise from the Professional Referee Department in Belgium for his respect and fair play.
