List of violent spectator incidents in sports

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On a number of occasions throughout history, notable sporting participants have been involved in violent confrontations with spectators during a competition. This list includes events in which a spectator at a sporting event was engaged in such a confrontation with an athlete, coach or game official, either through the spectator's intrusion upon the field of play, or as a result of such an event participant entering the spectator seating area. Incidents of object or snow throwing are included when it results in injuries to a match participant or causes significant delays or cancellation of the event.

It does not include incidents of riots or other violence, often outside the event venue, which did not involve game participants.

Contents 1 1912 2 1913 3 1922 4 1940 5 1961 6 1971 7 1972 8 1974 9 1975 10 1976 11 1978 12 1979 13 1980 14 1981 15 1982 16 1984 17 1986 18 1989 19 1990 20 1991 21 1992 22 1993 23 1995 24 1996 25 1997 26 1999 27 2000 28 2001 29 2002 30 2003 31 2004 32 2005 33 2006 34 2007 35 2008 36 2009 37 References

[edit] 1912

• On May 15, 1912, Detroit Tigers outfielder Ty Cobb assaulted Claude Lueker, a heckler, in the stands of Hilltop Park in New York during a game against the New York Highlanders. Lueker and Cobb traded insults with each other throughout the first three innings, and the situation climaxed when Lueker called Cobb a "half-nigger." Cobb then climbed into the stands and attacked the handicapped Lueker, who due to an industrial accident had lost all of one hand and three fingers on his other hand. When onlookers shouted at Cobb to stop because the man had no hands, Cobb reportedly replied, "I don't care if he got no feet!" The American League suspended him indefinitely, and his teammates, though not fond of Cobb, went on strike to protest the suspension prior to the May 18 game against the Philadelphia A's. For that one game, Detroit fielded a replacement team made up of college and sandlot ballplayers, plus two Detroit coaches, and lost, 24-2. The strike ended when Cobb urged his teammates to return to the field. Cobb's suspension lasted for 8 days.^[1]

[edit] 1913

• June 4 – Emily Davison, a women's suffrage activist, ran onto the track during the Epsom Derby race and was trampled to death by a horse.^[2]

[edit] 1922

• After being ejected from a game at The Polo Grounds in May 1922 for throwing dirt in the eyes of the umpire, Babe Ruth chased a heckler through the stands. When the fan ran out of reach, Ruth returned to the dugout roof and challenged any fan in attendance to fight him.^[1]

[edit] 1940

• September 16 – A Brooklyn Dodgers fan jumped on the field to attack umpire George Magerkurth so that the fan's pickpocket partner could work the stands.^[3]

[edit] 1961

• In the first half of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, Cleveland Indians outfielder Jimmy Piersall was attacked by two Yankee fans who ran onto the field. Piersall quickly dispatched of the first fan with a single punch then chased after the other, who was intercepted and pummeled by Indian teammates Johnny Temple and Walt Bond.^[1]

[edit] 1971

• September 30 – During the ninth inning at the final game of the Washington Senators in Washington, prior to their move to Texas, disgruntled Senators fans rushed the field and forced the Senators, who were beating the New York Yankees, to forfeit the contest. Baseball would not return to the U.S. capital until 2005, when the Montréal Expos moved south and became the Washington Nationals.^[4]

[edit] 1972

• January 6 – St. Louis Blues coach Al Arbour and several players entered the stands to fight fans at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, after Arbour was showered with debris.^[5]
• December 29 – Players from the Philadelphia Flyers entered the stands at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver after a fan reached over the glass and pulled the hair of Don Saleski.^[6]

[edit] 1974

• June 4, 1974 – "Ten Cent Beer Night" – In one of the most remarkably ill-conceived promotions in Major League Baseball history, fans at Cleveland Municipal Stadium for a Cleveland Indians vs. Texas Rangers game were served as many beers as they wanted for just 10¢ each. After numerous instances of drunken fans throwing debris or running onto the field — "streaking" in many instances — the situation boiled over in the 9th inning when a fan ran onto the field and snatched Rangers outfielder Jeff Burroughs' cap and glove. Burroughs' teammates charged out to his aid, followed by hundreds of rioting Cleveland fans who poured out onto the field. The game was forfeited to Texas.

[edit] 1975

• On December 28 in Bloomington, Minnesota, the Minnesota Vikings led the Dallas Cowboys 14-10 when Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach threw what would become known as the "Hail Mary pass" to wide receiver Drew Pearson for what would be the winning touchdown and a final score of 17-14. The Vikings protested, but field judge Armen Terzian ruled the catch and the touchdown legal. After the kickoff, with 14 seconds left to play, a whiskey bottle, thrown by a spectator, struck Terzian in the head, creating a forehead gash requiring 11 stitches.^[7] See Hail Mary (famous play) for details.

[edit] 1976

• April 25, 1976 – Two spectators ran onto the field at Dodger Stadium and attempted to set fire to an American flag. Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday grabbed the flag and carried it away. The spectators were arrested.^[8]

[edit] 1978

• Central Hockey League – The Fort Worth Texans and Dallas Black Hawks of the old Central Hockey League maintained an intense rivalry. While there had been numerous minor incidents involving fans and players, one stood out. There was a famous near-riot during the 1977-78 season in Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth. This incident, involving altercations in the stands and with players, occurred in a season when both teams were in first and second place throughout the season, with Fort Worth eventually winning the CHL Championship by beating Dallas in the finals in overtime of the seventh game. An unlimited "10 cent beer night" promotion being held that night was later determined to have been a major contributing factor. The incident, in which several fans were injured and others arrested, led to the outlawing of 'significant discount alcohol promotions' (10 cent beer nights, etc) and tighter regulation of some other alcohol promotional sales.

[edit] 1979

• July 12, 1979 – Disco Demolition Night – In a promotion conceived by Chicago DJ Steve Dahl, fans got 98¢ admission to a Comiskey Park doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers in exchange for bringing in a disco record to be blown up between games. Before the "demolition", many fans began throwing their records, as well as fireworks and debris. The between-games explosion tore a large hole into the field and was followed by thousands of spectators pouring in from the stands. Thirty-seven arrests were made and the second game of the doubleheader was forfeited.

• December 23 – Members of the Boston Bruins leaped over their bench, and fought New York Rangers fans at Madison Square Garden. The incident was made infamous by the Bruins' Mike Milbury removing a fan's shoe, and beating him with it.^[1]

[edit] 1980

• January 19 – A bench clearing brawl involving the Edmonton Oilers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, had some Pittsburgh fans behind the Edmonton bench throw beer at Edmonton head coach Glen Sather, before he attempted to attack the fans when the plexi-glass collapsed.^[9]

[edit] 1981

• On September 24, 1981, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Reggie Smith jumped into the stands at Candlestick Park after San Francisco Giants fan Michael Dooley threw a batting helmet at him. Smith was ejected and eight fans received citations.^[10]

[edit] 1982

• March 20 – With 49 seconds remaining in a 3-3 tie game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Quebec Nordiques, a Nordiques fan reached over the low plexi-glass and punched Tiger Williams of the Canucks, when he was in an altercation with Peter Stastny. Some Canucks players charged towards the stands, but Quebec police later restored order and escorted the middle-aged heckler out of the arena.^[11]

• At the Dutch Open, Ilie Nastase was so outraged with a linesman's call, he grabbed a vendor's load of ice cream cones and threw the load at the linesman, nailing some fans who were in the way.^[1]

[edit] 1984

• May 19 – Edmonton Oilers fans littered the penalty box when Duane Sutter of the New York Islanders was in there. Sutter used a water bottle to squirt them back, but the fans retaliated with more litter. The fans were ejected by security hours before the Oilers won their first Stanley Cup.^[12][13]

• August 12 – In a beanball war between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres in Atlanta where both managers and 12 players were ejected, fans got into the act late in the game, as one slammed a beer mug on Padre Kurt Bevacqua's head. Bevacqua gave chase but was held back by police. Shortly after, another fan ran onto the field and was taken down by Braves Chris Chambliss and Jerry Royster, when the fan attempted to take a loose helmet near third base. Five young fans were arrested, with the man who slammed a beer mug on Bevacqua's head facing criminal charges.^[1]

[edit] 1986

• February 12 – In an NHL game between the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Rangers, hecklers at Madison Square Gardens littered beer at the players on the Canucks team bench with 58 seconds remaining in regulation time. New York police came in to remove the guilty hecklers, while Craig Coxe attempted to retaliate before they were ejected from the building.^[14]

• August 26 – A fan threw a Bowie hunting knife at California Angels rookie Wally Joyner at Yankee Stadium. Joyner was fortunate that he was hit on his left arm by the butt end of the knife, escaping injury.^[15]

[edit] 1989

• October 1 — In a game between the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns, officials had the teams switch end zones in the fourth quarter to protect Denver players from batteries and other objects being heaved from Cleveland Stadium's Dawg Pound. The switch put the wind at the Browns' back, and the Browns wound up winning on a field goal that barely cleared the crossbar.^[16]
• Bounty Bowl II, December 10 – Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium threw snowballs and beer at Dallas Cowboys players and staff throughout the game as revenge against accusations by Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson that Eagles coach Buddy Ryan had placed a "bounty" on the head of Cowboys placekicker Luis Zendejas during a previous game.

[edit] 1990

• Mar 24 – During a packed WHL playoff game at the Seattle Center Coliseum, the Tri-City Americans responded to heckling and beer-pouring from Seattle Thunderbirds fans by swinging sticks at them behind the bench. Fans were able to gain control of several players' sticks during the melee.^[17] Four fans were arrested, and the league suspended coach Rick Kozuback and players Terry Virtue and Jeff Fancy for their actions in the incident.^[18]

[edit] 1991

• May 11 – During a home game at Cleveland Stadium, Indians' outfielder Albert Belle threw a ball at a heckling fan and hit him in the chest. Belle received a six game suspension and was fined $50,000.^[19]

[edit] 1992

• April 14 – The Buffalo Sabres-Québec Nordiques NHL game at Le Colisée saw a drunken Nordiques fan charging at the Sabres bench on the ice. Rob Ray and Colin Patterson KO ed the drunk and police quickly arrested him.^[20]

• A Peterborough United fan threw a coin at the Kingstonian goalkeeper in an FA Cup first round-replay in 1992, leaving him concussed and unable to continue. With no substitute goalkeeper available, Peterbrough was able to win easily, with a final score of 9-1. However, the Football Association ordered a rematch with no fans present, which Peterbrough won 1-0.^[21]

[edit] 1993

• April 30 – During a tennis match in Hamburg, Germany, tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed by Günter Parche, a Steffi Graf fan, during a changeover.

[edit] 1995

• January 25 – Manchester United player Eric Cantona launched a flying kick at a fan during a game against Crystal Palace. After the French international had been red-carded, a Palace fan left his seat in the stands and came down to the touchline shouting abuse at Cantona as he walked off the pitch. In response, the United striker ran over and launched a chest high kick at the man before landing several punches. Police and security quickly separated the pair. Cantona was banned for the remainder of the English Premier League season and fined ₤50,000; he was also convicted of assault and ordered to perform 120 hours of community service.^[1]

• February 6 – The Houston Rockets Vernon Maxwell ran into the stands in a game at Portland, and punched a fan in the face, breaking his jaw, after the fan heckled him over his wife's recent miscarriage. He was suspended for 10 games and fined $20,000 by the NBA.^[1]

• August 10, Dodger Stadium – The Los Angeles Dodgers gave out baseballs to paying customers as they entered the gates for a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals leading the game 2-1 as the Dodgers came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Dodgers had given away thousands of baseballs to fans coming to the game as a promotion. The first batter, Raúl Mondesí, was called out on strikes and then ejected by home plate umpire Jim Quick for arguing, as was Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda immediately after. Dodger fans, fuelled by a series of close calls and a few round of alcohol, immediately began throwing baseballs onto the field of play. The Cardinals left the field due to safety concerns and the umpires forfeited the game to St. Louis.^[22]. Following this incident, Major League Baseball mandated that should baseballs or any throwable object be given away as a promotional item, the giveaway would follow the game.

• September 28 – Chicago Cubs pitcher Randy Myers was attacked on the mound by a fan at Wrigley Field after giving up a home run. Myers held the fan on the ground until authorities arrested him.^[23]

• December 23 – New York Giants fans threw hundreds of snowballs and chunks of ice at San Diego Chargers players and officials, injuring fifteen people; Chargers equipment manager Sid Brooks was knocked out and had to be removed from the arena on a stretcher. 15 people were arrested and 175 fans were ejected from Giants Stadium by police, with 75 season-ticket holders having their tickets cancelled.^[24]. Since then, the NFL has mandated that seating areas must be cleared of all snow and ice prior to the opening of the stadium gates.

[edit] 1996

• November 26, Northlands Coliseum – Calgary Flames forward Sasha Lakovic attempted to climb the glass behind the players bench to get back at a drunk Edmonton Oilers fan who spilled beer on assistant coach Guy Lapointe's head. Lakovic was restrained by his teammates and was suspended for two games, while the Oilers were fined $20,000 for having inadequate security.^[25] The incident was broadcast on The CBC.

• During a night Australian Football League Round 10 match at Waverley Park in Melbourne between the Essendon Football Club and St Kilda Football Club, an unexpected pitch invasion occurred when the lights blacked out during the third quarter. Initially, a serious car crash into power lines in the nearby area was reported to have caused the blackout, although later it was confirmed to be a major electrical fault. In the midst of the chaos, a few thousand restless fans rioted and stormed the ground. Some lit bonfires in the centre pitch. Two of the smaller goal (behind) posts were removed by spectators. The incident was filmed on Network Seven.^[26]

• On March 13, 1996, India played Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India. Approximately 110,000 spectators were present at the ground. Chasing Sri Lanka's innings of 251 for 8, India had collapsed to 120 for 8 and were near defeat in the 35th over when sections of the crowd began to throw fruit and plastic bottles onto the field. The players left the field for 20 minutes in an attempt to quiet the crowd. When the players returned for play, more bottles were thrown onto the field and fires were lit in the stands and the crowd began to riot. Match referee Clive Lloyd awarded the match to Sri Lanka, the first default ever in a Test or One Day International.^[27]

[edit] 1997

• During a cricket match between India and Pakistan in Toronto, Canada, a fan repeatedly called Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq a "potato" as he fielded on the boundary. Inzamam responded by calling for a bat, after which he then proceeded to enter the stand while swinging it. No spectators were hit, though.^[28]

[edit] 1999

• On May 2, four Celtic fans were arrested – and banned from Celtic Park for life – after invading the pitch during the Scottish Premier League match with rivals Rangers at Celtic Park, and referee Hugh Dallas was struck on the head with a missile (thought to have been a coin), causing him to need attention for a cut.^[29] The Rangers team were also pelted with various objects on leaving the pitch at the end of the bad-tempered match which had produced 3 red cards. Another fan who attempted to remonstrate with Dallas from the upper tier fell over the balcony to the lower tier.^[30] The game was shown live on the satellite television channel Sky Sports.

• On August 10, during a game at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, two D-Cell batteries were thrown at St. Louis Cardinals outfielder J.D. Drew. Drew had been drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies years earlier but expressed disappointment with the franchise and held out in order to avoid playing with them. Eventually he re-entered the draft and was chosen by St. Louis.^[31]

• On September 24, Houston Astros outfielder Billy Spiers was attacked while standing in right field in Milwaukee County Stadium. Spiers suffered slight injuries, and the assailant, Berley W. Visgar, was sentenced to 90 days in jail.^[1]

• November 22 – After being pelted with heavy, wet snowballs throughout the second half of a game against the Denver Broncos, Charles Woodson of the Oakland Raiders retaliated by throwing a hard snowball back into the crowd, hitting a woman in the face. An arrest warrant was later issued for Woodson. In the same game, Raiders tackle Lincoln Kennedy entered the stands and punched a Broncos fan in the face^[32].

[edit] 2000

• On May 16, 2000, a fan at Wrigley Field in Chicago grabbed the baseball cap off the head of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Chad Kreuter, starting a melee in which Dodgers players including Raúl Mondesí, Gary Sheffield, Darren Dreifort, Adrián Beltré, and Todd Hundley entered the stands to fight fans.^[33]

[edit] 2001

• March 29 – Toronto Maple Leafs player Tie Domi and a fan got into a scuffle in the penalty box during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the First Union Center, after the enraged fan (after having water shot at another Flyer fan by Domi) leaned over the glass which separated spectators from the penalty box to confront Domi. The glass panel came loose and the fan's momentum carried him into the box where Domi had been seated, at which point the scuffle ensued.^[1]

• September 1 – Geelong Football Club player Darren Milburn executed a very late bump on Carlton Football Club's Steven Silvagni, collecting Silvagni's head with his hip; Silvagni hit the ground unconscious. After being substituted with another player, fans threatened Milburn and attempted to enter the interchange box to assault him, and again attempted to attack him in the car park and after the game.^[34]

• December 16 – During an NFL game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns fans angered by the overturning of a referee's call late in the fourth quarter threw garbage on to the field, including hundreds of beer bottles resulting in a thirty-minute delay. Referees as well as players on both teams were struck by debris^[35].

[edit] 2002

• June 15 – During an Australian Football League match between Carlton and the West Coast Eagles at Optus Oval, field umpires were abused and a bottle was thrown, causing the league to review security at the venue.^[36]

• August – After the siren of an Australian Football League match between Richmond and Hawthorn a woman evaded security to approach Greg Stafford. She was apparently a stalker of 5 years then on a restraining order. The woman tried to embrace Stafford before he vehemently pushed her away and summoned security. The incident sparked much media attention as Stafford raised the issue of player security.^[37]

• September 16 – A fight broke out amongst fans at FedEx Field during a Monday Night Football meeting between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins with about six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Police attempted to stop the crowd by using pepper spray; while this worked, the mist hit air blowers near the Eagles bench which hit the players, resulting in an eight minute delay of the game.^[38]

• September 19 – Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa was violently assaulted by William Ligue Jr. (age 34) and his 15-year-old son, William Ligue, III (Billy) at Comiskey Park in Chicago.^[39]

• November 23 – Aloha Stadium – Honolulu, Hawaii – University of Cincinnati at Hawaiʻi college football – As tensions between the two teams built throughout a penalty-filled game, a controversial late hit on the already injured Hawaiʻi quarterback Timmy Chang caused fights break out between both teams' players as well as mascots. Cincinnati's athletic director Bob Goin accused Hawaiʻi fans of threatening Cincinnati players, coaches, and cheerleaders throughout the game ^[40] and police used pepper spray on fans who threw garbage at Cincinnati players after the game.^[41]
• December 14 - After a controversial call by the referees cost the Utah Jazz a win over the Sacramento Kings, fans at EnergySolutions Arena in Utah showered the officials and Kings' players with debris as they left the court. The officials had to cover their heads with their jackets to avoid being hit by beverage cups and other flying objects.

[edit] 2003

• April 15 - In a game in Chicago between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals, a fan ran on to the field (mid-play) and tried to tackle umpire Laz Diaz. Diaz, who used to be in the Marines, threw the fan to the ground.^[42]
• October 11 - A grounds crew member at Fenway Park got into an altercation with New York Yankees relief pitcher Jeff Nelson, which resulted in Nelson and Yankees right fielder Karim Garcia jumping the grounds crew member. Charges were pressed later on.^[43]
• October 11 - At the end of a college football game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Missouri Tigers, Nebraska cornerback Kellen Huston threw a punch at a Missouri fan named Matthew Scott, knocking him out on the field in Columbia, Missouri. Scott's injury needed surgery for a broken nose. Huston was given a one-game suspension.^[44]

[edit] 2004

• March 8 - During a National Hockey League game between the visiting Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks at General Motors Place, Avalanche forward Peter Worrell was struck at the bench by a plastic cup of beer thrown from the stands.
• April 22 – At Docklands Stadium during an Australian Football League match between Richmond and Adelaide, a spectator from Brisbane spat on Richmond coach Danny Frawley and other club officials. The controversial incident was captured on Australian national television and the supporter was identified and later questioned.^[45]

• April 26 – In the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway, Jeff Gordon won in a controversial ending where he passed NASCAR's most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the race ended under caution causing fans to throw trash and debris onto the racetrack. Gordon then defiantly performed a victory "doughnut" over the thrown debris. This race then subsequently caused NASCAR to institute the green-white-checker finish.^[46]

• August 29 – During the men's marathon event at the 2004 Summer Olympics, defrocked Irish priest Neil Horan burst out of the crowd to accost race leader Vanderlei de Lima – an action which may have cost de Lima the gold medal, although many observers have noted that he was losing ground to Stefano Baldini of Italy and Mebrahtom Keflezighi of the United States even before the attack, and they likely would have caught him anyway. De Lima ultimately placed third in the race, behind Baldini (who won) and Keflezighi.^[47] De Lima later declined to protest the result, for which the IOC compensated him with the De Coubertin medal.

• September 13 – Texas Rangers pitcher Frank Francisco threw a chair at a fan during the Rangers' game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland's Network Associates Coliseum, breaking a woman's nose.^[48]

• September 29 – Reacting from a fan throwing a plastic beer bottle on the field during a home game against the Colorado Rockies, Milton Bradley of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw it from the field violently into the front row. Major League Baseball suspended him for five games. As Bradley walked from right field to the Dodgers' dugout, he took his jersey and hat off. With the crowd behind the dugout booing, Bradley gestured with palms up, urging the fans on.^[49]

• November 19 – Pacers–Pistons brawl: Near the end of an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, a brawl erupted between Pacers players and Pistons supporters in one of American sports' most infamous incidents.^[50]

• November 20 – South Carolina-Clemson brawl: Less than 24 hours after "The Malice in The Palace", the college football teams from South Carolina and Clemson were involved in a melee during their annual rivalry game. The schools instituted self-inflicted punishments by not allowing their teams to play in post-season bowl games that year, in spite of both having winning records.^[51]

[edit] 2005

• April 12 – In the 74th minute of a UEFA Champions League match versus crosstown rivals Inter Milan, A.C. Milan goalkeeper Dida was hit in the shoulder with a flare thrown from the Inter fans angry at the disallowing of an Esteban Cambiasso equaliser. Dida suffered only minor burns but was unable to continue the match. After a 30 minute delay to clear burning flares from the pitch, the match was briefly restarted before another round of debris-throwing forces the cancellation of the match. AC Milan's 1–0 lead was allowed to stand and they progressed.^[52]

• April 14 – a fan at Fenway Park took a swing at Yankees right fielder Gary Sheffield as he was fielding a ball in play, prompting Sheffield to take a swing at the fan. While this was happening, another fan threw a beer at Sheffield, then jumped back tripping over the fan next to him. After throwing the ball back into the field of play, Sheffield approached the fan who swung at him, before a lone security guard intervened. The fan was ejected, and had his season tickets revoked.^[53]

• April 26 – Allen Iverson was struck by a coin that was thrown by a Detroit Pistons fan. Iverson was on the bench and remained calm while security and police removed the suspect, with the help of witnesses who saw the incident.^[54]

• In November, a ODI cricket match in the Chappell-Hadlee Series between Australia and New Zealand involved members of the New Zealand crowd throwing dangerous objects at Australian players.^[55]

[edit] 2006

• November 11 – At an FA Cup match between Newport County and Swansea City, fourth official Alan Sheffield was struck in the face with a £1 coin thrown at him from the crowd after Sheffield engaged in a dispute with Newport manager Peter Beadle.^[56] The impact cut an artery, and Sheffield was rushed into surgery, requiring seven stitches. It was the most serious of several coin-throwing incidents during the month, with Fulham's Claus Jensen and Arsenal's Robin van Persie also being hit with coins.^[57]

[edit] 2007

• January 21 – In a rugby union match between Toulouse and Ulster, Toulouse player Trevor Brennan jumped into a section of the crowd housing Ulster supporters and struck Ulster fan Patrick Bamford. Brennan alleged afterwards that remarks about his mother triggered his reaction. In their investigation of the incident European Rugby found no such abuse took place. They found that Brennan was being baited over the standard of Brennan's Bar, which he co-owns in Toulouse. Brennan initially received a life ban from rugby, which was then reduced to a five year suspension prompting his retirement.^[58] Bamford successfully sued the Guardian, among others, for libel concerning reports that suggested he had shouted sectarian abuse.^[59]

• March 20 – Following Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Tottenham in an FA Cup quarter-finals match at White Hart Lane, Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard was attacked by Tottenham fan Tim Smith, who invaded the pitch and threw a clumsy punch at him.^[60] Footage appears to show Lampard's teammate Didier Drogba stomping on Smith after Chelsea's fitness coach Rui Faria had wrestled Smith to the ground.^[61]

• April 21 – Following Jeff Gordon winning the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, tying the late Dale Earnhardt with 76 wins, a handful of Earnhardt fans threw full beverage cans at Gordon's car as he celebrated the victory and paid tribute to Earnhardt. A week later at the Aaron's 499 on April 29 at Talladega Superspeedway, a track where Earnhardt and particularly his son Dale Earnhardt, Jr. have a strong following and a track that had a history of fans throwing debris at Gordon (see 2004 above), Gordon won the race again, this time surpassing Earnhardt, Sr. on the all-time wins list. A much larger number of fans threw beverage cans and other debris on the track and at Gordon's car following his victory. Fourteen fans were arrested and banned for life from buying tickets from the speedway.^[62]

• May 23 – During an AHL playoff game, Kip Brennan of the Hershey Bears was attacked by a Manchester Monarchs fan in the penalty box area. Brennan ripped the fan's shirt during the fight and was suspended by the league for the remainder of the playoffs. The fan was later ejected from the arena.^[63]

• May 28 – NBA Utah Jazz fans gave way to frustration in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the 2007 Western Conference Finals in Salt Lake City – with most of it aimed at San Antonio Spurs swingman Manu Ginóbili and his flair for drawing fouls – in an ugly-but-effective overall team performance in which the Spurs made more free throws (30) than field goals (28). Contributing to that discrepancy were four technical fouls called against Utah in the fourth. The subsequent ejections of Utah head coach Jerry Sloan and Jazz guard Derek Fisher had a charged-up EnergySolutions Arena crowd raining debris onto the court in protest. After the Spurs won the game 91-79, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich rushed his team into the locker room instead of submitting to post-game interviews.^[64]

• June 20 – South Melbourne FC player Andrew Bourakis was hit by a flare during a match against the Melbourne Victory at Bob Jane Stadium. Crowd violence saw 15 people evicted from the grounds.^[65]

• With the score tied 3-3 in the 89th minute of a UEFA European Football Championship match between Sweden and Denmark, an unidentified Danish fan stormed the pitch and punched referee Herbert Fandel after Sweden is awarded a penalty kick following the issue of a straight-red card to Denmark midfielder Christian Poulsen. Following the attack, the match was abandoned and UEFA awarded Sweden the victory.^[66] (See 2008 UEFA qualifier fan attack)

• October 3 – Following Celtic's late goal in the Champions League Group D clash against AC Milan which resulted in a 2-1 victory, Celtic supporter Robert McHendry ran from one side of the pitch to the other, while running past Milan goalkeeper Dida the fan made light contact to the goalkeeper's shoulder. Dida took a couple steps in pursuit of the fan before he went down clutching his face in apparent agony; he had to be taken off the pitch on a stretcher.^[67] McHendry was banned for life from Celtic matches, and Celtic was fined 30,000 Swiss Francs for the incident. Dida was fined and suspended for two Champions League matches for simulation, though the suspension was later reduced to one match.^[68] Several other Celtic fans crushed advertising hoardings at the side of the pitch as they also tried to reach celebrating Celtic players on the field of play.

• November 11 – A policeman near Arezzo, attempting to break up a fight between Juventus and S.S. Lazio fans, shot and killed Lazio supporter Gabriele Sandri. As news of the killing spread across Italy, a match between A.C. Milan and Atalanta B.C. was abandoned after seven minutes, after fans attempted to destroy a glass barrier separating them from the pitch^[69]

[edit] 2008

• June – A Collingwood fan was removed from the Melbourne Cricket Ground by security after spitting twice on Carlton's Brendan Fevola.^[70]
• July 24 – During a minor league A-level baseball game, pitcher Julio Castillo of the Peoria Chiefs was arrested and charged for throwing a baseball that hit a fan in the stands. It was intended to be thrown in the dugout of the Dayton Dragons which resulted in a 10-minute brawl. Castillo was arraigned the next day and ordered held a $50,000 bond. He also had to surrender his passport.^[71] On August 6, 2009, Castillo was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 3 years probation and had to be sent to anger management for this incident.^[72]
• December 21 – Shaun Ellis, who played for the New York Jets, threw a huge chunk of snow into the crowd of Seattle Seahawks fans in Seattle during a 13-3 Seahawks win over the Jets. Two days later, the NFL fined Ellis $10,000 for his actions, while Ellis claimed that it was "all in good fun."^[73]

[edit] 2009

• February 16 – In a AHSAA boys high school basketball tournament game between Carver-Montgomery and Valley high schools, held at the ASU Acadome arena, a fight broke out between two players with 6:32 remaining in the game. A bench-clearing brawl ensued and fights broke out in the stands before spilling over onto the court.^[74] The game was forfeited and both teams were disqualified from the playoffs.^[75] Eleven arrests were made.^[76]
• March 1 – Carlton's Brendan Fevola was struck in the head by a Hawthorn cheersquad member's flogger at Docklands Stadium.^[77]
• April 25 – In an NHL playoff game between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, held in Washington's Verizon Center, Rangers head coach John Tortorella squirted a fan with a water bottle and then threw another bottle over the glass at him. The bottle missed the intended fan and instead hit an unsuspecting fan in the face. He also made threatening gestures towards the fan with a hockey stick. Tortorella was suspended for one game by the NHL.^[78]
• July 19 – During the first half of his first game back at the Home Depot Center following a loan to AC Milan, LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham was subjected to obscene chants by fans angered by his expressed desire to remain with the Italian club. At halftime, Beckham was restrained by security staff from trying to climb over a barrier to confront a drunk fan who invaded the pitch.^[79] The invading fan was arrested and banned from attending LA Galaxy home games for life, while Beckham was fined $1,000 for the incident.^[80]
• August 12- Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino was hit by a full cup of beer while catching a pop-fly at Wrigley Field. A complaint was filed by Victorino and the Phillies to the Chicago Police Department. The fan was charged with two counts of misdemeanor.^[81]
• August 25 - A second-round Carling Cup match at Upton Park between Millwall F.C. and West Ham United was interrupted repeatedly by pitch invasions and debris throwing.^[82]
• September 3 - After a 19-8 loss at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount punched Boise State linebacker Byron Hout in the jaw after Hout appeared to be taunting him. As he was escorted off the field, Blount had to be restrained from charging at heckling BSU fans, who, according to Blount, had wielded a chair and threw a punch at him. Blount was suspended for the season for his actions.^[83]
• October 16 - In a Philippine Basketball Association game between the Burger King Whoppers and Smart Gilas held in Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Philippines, Whoppers team captain Wynne Arboleda charged into the sidelines and assaulted a paying spectator who was shouting profane words at him after he committed his second flagrant foul against his opponent, which resulted to his ejection from the game. The PBA suspended him for the rest of the 2009-2010 season, assessed him a fine of PhP20,000 (USD428) for his two flagrant fouls, and blacklisted him from attending any game during this suspension^[84]. The spectator whom Arboleda mauled is contemplating of filing formal charges against him as well.

[edit] References

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