Liverpool fan who pushed man into Barcelona fountain served three-year stadium ban

A Liverpool fan who was arrested after pushing a street seller into a fountain before the team's Champions League semi-final first leg has been handed a three-year stadium ban. Anthony Mullen was filmed tipping a man head over heels into Font de las Tres Graciàs on Plaça Reial on 30 April, the eve of their semi-final clash with Barça at Camp Nou. He was later identified, prompting an investigation by Merseyside Police.

Two incidents

According to the Liverpool Echo, Mullen was not charged with committing a criminal offence but police sought to issue a banning notice through the civil courts. Mullen appeared at South Sefton Magistrates’ Court in Bootle this morning where he admitted being involved in two separate incidents - the first, pushing an innocent bystander into a fountain in Barcelona and another, in which he assaulted a traffic and safety steward at Anfield ahead of the final league game of last season.

The football banning order which Mullen has been served states that he cannot enter any football stadium in the United Kingdom when a football match is being played for the next three years. He will also serve a protective order which means he is not allowed within a one-mile radius of Anfield stadium four hours before kick-off and one hour after full-time. He is also not allowed to travel to any town on a matchday when Liverpool are playing an away game.