Roy Keane being ‘headbutted’ by fan at Emirates sparks police probe as witness describes how there was ‘blood on the floor’ after incident which saw Micah Richards ‘step in and push attacker against the door’
- Do you know the man involved? Please email [email protected]
Police have launched an investigation after footage emerged of a fan allegedly headbutting Roy Keane in a hospitality area at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, leaving ‘blood on the floor’.
Footage shared on social media last night showed Keane’s Sky Sports colleague Micah Richards grappling with the man to restrain him, but he had left before security guards arrived.
Today, Sky Sports confirmed Richards had attempted to ‘defuse’ the situation – as the Met announced it had begun an investigation but had not yet made any arrests.
The 52-year-old former Manchester United captain was confronted by a man at the top of the West Stand as he was waiting for a lift to take him down to the pitchside area, Mail Sport understands.
The man allegedly aimed a headbutt at Keane and hit the Irishman on the chest and chin.
Do you know the man involved? Please email [email protected]
Footage shared on social media last night showed Roy Keane’s Sky Sports colleague Micah Richards grappling with the man to restrain him, but he had left before security guards arrived
Today, the Met confirmed it had launched an investigation into the incident
Keane (second from right) and Richards (far left) carried on with their post-match punditry duties afterwards
Today, Sky confirmed the incident and said: ‘We understand the police are investigating an alleged assault by a member of the public immediately preceding the footage circulating on social media.
‘In the footage seen, Micah Richards was acting to defuse a situation.’
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A witness said Richards intervened after the fan attacked his colleague.
‘The fan seemingly tried to head-butt Roy Keane. I then saw a mark between his eyebrows,’ they told Express Sport.
‘Micah Richards stepped in and pushed the fan back against the door. I heard the altercation and I was shocked to see the individuals involved.’
Describing the aftermath of the incident, the witness added: ‘Afterwards, we noticed a small amount of blood on the floor on the route where the fan was led out.’
The incident happened shortly after Man Utd winger Alejandro Garnacho had looked to have won the contest for United in the 88th minute.
Keane and Richards, who were working with former Arsenal player Theo Walcott, had raced back to the studio to see what had happened, with Garnacho’s goal eventually being ruled out after a VAR check.
Keane, who had a tempestuous relationship with Arsenal during his playing career, was eventually escorted down to the pitchside area where he continued broadcasting.
The Emirates was a cauldron of noise on Sunday after Declan Rice scored late-on
The Met said: ‘Police are investigating following an assault that is alleged to have occurred at the Emirates Stadium during an Arsenal v Manchester United match on Sunday, 3 September.
How Keane once confronted Arsenal’s captain in the tunnel
United travelled to Arsenal on a cold February evening in 2005, but things had reached boiling point in the tunnel.
Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira warned Gary Neville in the tunnel that he was in for trouble and Keane defended his player to the hilt.
A flurry of swear words between the two sets of players continued before Keane reached the front of the line of players and shouted at Vieira: ‘See you out there. Shouting your mouth of every week. Pretending you’re a nice guy’.
United would go on to win the match 4-2.
Keane (right) points towards Vieira (out of picture)
‘There have been no arrests. Inquiries are ongoing. Any witnesses or those with information are asked to call 101 ref CAD 6961/3 Sept.’
Sunday’s match reached boiling point before the full-time whistle, with the Emirates a cauldron of noise after an eventful 113 minutes of action.
Striker Marcus Rashford opened the scoring for United as they went ahead against the run of play by scoring on the counter-attack against a perilous Arsenal side.
Their joy was short-lived as Arsenal replied with an equaliser just 35 seconds later and finally the rivalry between two great rivals was reignited.
£105m summer arrival Declan Rice snatched a winner in the 96th minute to send the home crowd into raptures, before Gabriel Jesus added a third as United searched for a last-gasp equaliser.
Keane and Arsenal have shared a fraught relationship over the years, with the 52-year-old’s feud with former Gunners captain Patrick Vieira the main focus of a tense relationship between the north and the south.
Arsenal versus Manchester United remains one of the Premier League’s most infamous rivalries.
Between 1996 and 2004 the famous duo shared the English top-flight title as they dominated the rest of the division.
Keane was usually at the heart of the drama as he led the Red Devils out at Arsenal’s old stomping ground, Highbury, and even pre-match on Sunday described players as going out to ‘battle’.
The defining individual clash between two titans in this fixture is shared by Keane and Vieira and it all dates back to the Frenchman’s arrival on England’s shores 27 years ago after he joined from AC Milan.
Both in their prime, both captaining their teams and neither pulling punches even before they stepped out onto the pitch. They set the tone that their teams would then follow.
Keane (left) shared a tense relationship with former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira (right) during their playing days
To this day they still share the most famous tunnel moment in English football history as Keane backed up a young Gary Neville and blasted Vieira for picking on the United full-back.
United would go on to win the affair 4-2 as referee Graham Poll attempted to keep Keane and Vieira away from one another inside the cramped pre-match space.
There were numerous other incidents with Keane retaining his status as one of football’s ‘hard-men’ to this day after overseeing a no-nonsense approach during his time as Man United captain.
The pair eventually reconciled once both had called time on their playing careers and have since worked together in punditry, but the rivalry between two of England’s biggest clubs remains.
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