A Birmingham City fan has been jailed for 14 weeks after punching Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish during Sunday’s derby.
Pub worker Paul Mitchell was sentenced by Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday after pleading guilty to pitch encroachment and assault.
His solicitor said: “He [Mitchell] cannot explain what came over him yesterday morning. His initial foolish intention was to just go onto the pitch and whip up the crowd.”
Prosecutor Jonathan Purser told the court that Grealish felt lasting pain after the incident, but had suffered no substantial injury from a punch to the right side of his jaw.
A statement read to the court on behalf of the Aston Villa captain said: “I cannot help but feel how lucky I was in this incident.
“It could have been so much worse had the supporter had some sort of weapon.”
Grealish was attacked less than 10 minutes into the game, when Mitchell ran onto the pitch and threw a punch from behind the footballer, hitting him in the side of the head.
The intruder was quickly restrained by stewards and was escorted away by police. He blew a kiss to the crowd as he left.
Grealish was unhurt and was comforted by other players from both teams. He went on to score the only goal of the game.
A similar incident occurred during the Arsenal vs Manchester United game on Sunday, when a man invaded the pitch and appeared to threaten United centre-back Chris Smalling.
The Football Association condemned both incidents, saying they had “crossed a line”.
The organisation promised to examine security measures at the two matches in question, as well as what future steps can be taken.
Of the Grealish assault, Birmingham defender Harlee Dean said: “I’ve seen it and it’s not right. You should never fear for your safety on a football pitch and it’s disappointing to see.
“There’s a lot of hate amongst the fans and stuff, which is fine to an extent, but you shouldn’t be able to come on the pitch and make contact with a player.”
Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor told Sky Sports News the attack was “disgraceful” and “cowardly”.
He called on the Football Association to work with the government, police and stewards at the grounds to help stamp out such incidents.
Sports minister Mims Davies said: “The incidents that happened over the weekend were a disgrace.
“It is right that they are investigated immediately and strong action is taken by the football authorities and clubs.
“Protecting players’ safety is of paramount importance and every possible step must be taken to ensure that they are not put at risk.”