Manchester United legend turned pundit Roy Keane was reportedly headbutted by an Arsenal fan following the London club’s dramatic home win against the Red Devils on Sunday evening.
Nearly 20 years on from his infamous bust-up with Patrick Viera in the tunnel at Highbury, it appears the former Irish enforcer and grumpy midfielder found himself involved in some friction with a fan at Arsenal’s current ground too.
In fact, according to multiple outlets, Keane was allegedly headbutted by the angered Gunner on the way to carrying out the full-time analysis and his other post-match duties on Sky Sports whilst waiting for the lift down to the pitchside.
Said to have occurred just after Man United’s Alejandro Garnacho thought he scored the winner only to be ruled offside before the home team scored a double at the death to seal the victory, fellow pundit and former Man City defender Micah Richards can be seen grabbing the fan and separating the two.
Footage of the moments just after Roy Keane was supposedly headbutted by the unidentified fan.
While the clip above seemingly cuts off just after the altercation, the Arsenal supporter is said to have headbutted the 52-year-old in the chest and the chin area before his Richards intervenes and security is called.
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Speaking to Express Sport, an eye-witness said the incident occurred “shortly before the 90th-minute mark in the Highbury Bar for platinum members” and Keane was supposedly “a mark between his eyebrows.”
After pushing the fan away and against a door, the witness said “Richards was very forceful at keeping the fan from attacking Keane and neither their security nor the door security could split the two apart”, adding that “Keane was asking nearby staff to call the police.”
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Once the unruly supporter was eventually escorted by additional security, they also claimed that they “noticed a small amount of blood on the floor on the route where the fan was led out.”
Issuing a statement to the media, a Sky Sports spokesperson said: “We understand the police are investigating an alleged assault by a member of the public immediately preceding the footage circulating on social media. In the footage seen, Micah Richards was acting to diffuse a situation.”
Thus far, the Met Police have said they are “investigating following an assault that is alleged to have occurred at the Emirates Stadium during an Arsenal v Manchester United match on Sunday, 3 September”, but that “there have been no arrests” and “enquiries are ongoing.”
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Regardless, both Keane and Richards still went on to analyse the ever-tense fixture as if nothing had happened and many have applauded the pair for their professionalism in staying on the panel to talk about the game.
The pair obviously had plenty to analyse following an eventful evening at the Emirates which has had plenty of VAR controversy surrounding it, especially from aggrieved United fans.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
4th September 2023 
