An enraged soccer fan rushed out onto the field Thursday and took a swipe at Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović in an act that shocked the stadium.
Thursday’s Europa League game between Philips Sport Vereniging (PSV) and Sevilla broke down late during the second leg of the Knockout Round playoff series at Philips Stadium in Eindhoven, Netherlands, according to the New York Post when a young man in a black jacket and jeans jumped onto the field and made a bee-line straight for the Sevilla goalie.
“I never saw anything like it, I’m not going to say what I really wanted to do,” Dmitrović said after the game, per ESPN. “I’m glad I was aware of where he was coming from and was able to stop him. Otherwise, other things could have happened.”
Bizarre scenes in Europa League as fan punches Sevilla goalie Marko Dmitrovic#EuropaLeague #SevillaFC #MarkoDmitrovichttps://t.co/CLtfpKgB3j
— News18 Sports (@News18Sports) February 24, 2023
Dmitrović wrestled the fan to the ground after taking a shot to the chin as players from both teams and stadium security rushed to the net to apprehend the young man.
As the attacker was led off the field, the Dutch fans booed. It is unclear if they were booing the fact that the fan was caught or booing the fan for interrupting the game. Knowing soccer fans, it was the former rather than the latter.
Dmitrović hinted that the fans were out for him. “He wanted to hit me, it’s unfortunate that this kind of incident happened on a soccer pitch. UEFA should do something. This has to stop,” he told the media.
Marko Dmitrovic of Sevilla FC is attacked by a supporter who invaded the pitch during the UEFA Europa League Knockout Round Play-Off Leg Two match between PSV and Sevilla FC at the Philips Stadion on February 23, 2023, in Eindhoven, Netherlands (Rene Nijhuis/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli blasted the incident and said he felt the game should have been halted and rescheduled. “It’s a disgrace that the game resumed,” he said.
“These acts have to be strongly punished. Otherwise, it will happen again, and we will not know when it is time to stop when faced with these types of situations,” Sampaoli said, adding, “I truly don’t understand how the referee did not take another decision. If you accept this, from now on, anything could happen.”
Philips Sport Vereniging ended up losing the game 2-0 but may also face fines for the fan’s actions.
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