A spectator walked into the technical area during the Premier League match between Leeds and Newcastle on Saturday and shoved Newcastle manager Eddie Howe in the chest before being escorted away by security.
Howe didn’t appear to get hurt in the incident, which took place in the third minute of stoppage time in an emotionally charged 2-2 draw at Elland Road.
The spectator initially grabbed Howe by his left arm, then jabbed at him and pushed him high in the chest. Howe looked shocked and appeared to shout something at the intruder, who was quickly led away by security as other members of Newcastle’s security staff complained.
“That was a real surprise,” Howe said of the incident. “I’m concentrating on the game, then I turn and it’s the last thing you expect to happen.”
In February, a 35-year-old man was banned from attending soccer games for four years after pleading guilty to assaulting Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the end of a match against Tottenham in January.
The man climbed over the advertising hoarding and kicked Ramsdale in the back shortly after the final whistle of Arsenal’s 2-0 win. Ramsdale had gone behind one of the goals to pick up his water bottle.
There were a slew of incidents involving fans getting onto the field during the final weeks of last season in English soccer. One involved then-Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira getting involved in an altercation with a fan following a pitch invasion at Everton’s Goodison Park.
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