Outrage in England over Ramsdale assault
The Arsenal goalkeeper was attacked after the 0-2 win over Spurs. The PFA have already issued a statement.
Craig Pawson blew the whistle to end Spurs’ suffering and Aaron Ramsdale, as he looked into the crowd, kissed the Arsenal badge on his shirt. Mikel Arteta’s side had ravaged Tottenham in their own stadium and the English goalkeeper, who saved his team on 7 occasions, dedicated the victory to the Spurs fans behind the goal that had been shouting abuse at him during the second half.
However, as the goalkeeper confirmed to Sky Sports after the game, “the Spurs fans were giving me some (abuse) throughout the second half, I gave a bit back which, to the few people I did do it to, was probably well greeted, sportsmanship-like.” Even so, Richarlison berated the player and when he went to collect his things from behind the goal, a fan jumped down and kicked Ramsdale in the back.
While security separated the Brazilian and English footballers, a fan took advantage of the bust-up to jump the security wall and assault the Arsenal goalkeeper. Quickly, his teammates ran to support him. Players on both sides clashed on the pitch and it took Mikel Arteta to drag his team away and towards their own fans on the other side of the pitch.
The FA (Football Association) released a statement “we strongly condemn the incident involving a spectator that followed today’s Premier League fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. This is wholly unacceptable behaviour and we will work together with the police, the relevant authorities and the clubs to ensure the appropriate action is taken.”
Ramsdale’s comments after the attack
Ramsdale himself was asked about the incident after the game, explaining “a fan jumped over and gave me a little punch in the back. It’s a shame because it’s just a game of football at the end of the day. Both sets of players tried to bring me away. Thankfully nothing actually happened.” The Tottenham fan had managed to wipe the smile of the Arsenal goalkeeper’s face after the monumental victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Ramsdale and his side sit 8 points clear at the top of the table.
At the same time, the PFA released a statement saying:
“Violence towards players is completely unacceptable. These types of incidents are happening far too often. Players have a right to be safe in their place of work. When a player is attacked, we expect the laws and regulations that are in place to protect players to be properly enforced. As the players’ union, we treat this as a priority issue. We will continue working with the authorities to demand that players and staff are better protected in their place of work.”
What the managers said after the game
Both managers said in the aftermath that they did not see the incident, with Arteta telling reporters “I haven’t seen anything... what I have seen is a beautiful game of football. I’m not letting that take 0.00000001% of the enjoyment of this.” Conte said, “I didn’t see [the incident after the game], I only saw the big confusion. If this type of thing has happened, it’s not good. We have to always show respect in every moment for the opponent, for the players and if this has happened, I don’t like it.”
Tottenham themselves did not hold back, immediately publishing an official statement saying “we are appalled by the behaviour of a supporter that attempted to attack Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the end of today’s match. Violence in any form has no place in football. The Club has reviewed its CCTV footage to identify the supporter and will be working with the Met Police, Arsenal and Aaron Ramsdale to take the strongest possible action, including an immediate ban from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”
Premier League 2022/2023
| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Arsenal | 47 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| 2Manchester City | 39 | 12 | 3 | 3 |
| 3Newcastle United | 38 | 10 | 8 | 1 |
| Upcoming matches | |
|---|---|
| Arsenal - Everton | S-11/09 09:00 |
| Arsenal - Manchester United | S-22/01 11:30 |
*Data updated to date Jan 15th, 2023