Pundits have increasingly faced abuse from supporters while working at matches, with both Gary Neville and Roy Keane involved in recent pitchside incidents with fans
The Premier League has moved to step up its security procedures for pundits after incidents involving Gary Neville and Roy Keane.
Broadcasters have increasingly taken to hosting their coverage of games by the side of the pitch. But that has led to a surge in incidents of supporters abusing pundits who had played for rival clubs.
Keane was assaulted at an Arsenal match last season and recently clashed with an Ipswich fan following Manchester United’s draw with the Tractor Boys. The Irishman was consistently barracked as he worked on the pitch and eventually confronted a group of fans, offering to meet one on the car park.
A week after that incident, Keane’s former United team-mate Neville was singled out at Liverpool, where a fan continuously branded him a ‘Manc c***’. Neville has since claimed that a steward witnessed the encounter but did not step in.
Following those incidents, the Daily Mail report that the Premier League have drawn up plans to deploy a protective ‘ring of steel’ around pundits. It is claimed the move follows high-level talks between league chiefs, broadcasters and clubs.
Security staff will now be placed in front of gantries at grounds were they are positioned close to public areas. It comes amid fears that it is ‘just a matter of time’ before a pundit is physically attacked.
Officials are said to believe that social media has ’emboldened’ fans who see the presence of pundits nearby as an opportunity to make a name for themselves by posting videos of themselves hurling abuse and attempting to trigger a reaction.
It is stated that there is a view that clubs whose stadiums have gantries located among supporters – rather than high above them – can do more to tackle the abuse. Stewards will nw be situated close to at-risk gantries and will take action against anyone overstepping the mark.
It is hoped that any punishments will act as a deterrent. Those involved will be identified and could potentially have their season tickets confiscated. Witness accounts would also aid criminal proceedings.
A man was handed a three-year banning order and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work for what a court heard was a ‘gratuitous and senseless act of violence’ after Keane was headbutted at a game at Arsenal last season.
Sky carry out risk assessments on each fixture to asses whether there is a need for security staff to accompany pundits through public areas. Since the Ipswich game, Keane has moved to play down the incident.
He told The Overlap: “I wasn’t angry at the Ipswich Town game. I was calm, I went over to the guy twice. What happens when we’re doing matches is and the analysis is happening at the end of the match when fans can be up or down, whatever emotions they are feeling – and people think they can abuse you, and it seems to be a, ‘We’re supposed to accept that’.
“I went over to him twice – I said, ‘No problem, if you want to abuse me or if you want a discussion with me, well I’m working’. I went over to him twice at different stages and he was swearing in front of kids. I said, ‘If you want to see me afterwards’ – and people thought I was asking him for a [fight] – I said, ‘I’ll see you in the car park’. Where else was I going to see him? He wasn’t there!”
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