City charged by the FA following the Villa match (22nd May 2022)

[supercity88]

City fans have been invading the pitch on the last day of the season on and off since the 1960s, especially when we have won trophies or been promoted. Apart from the Luton relegation in 83 or the Spurs cup match in the 90s I can't think of a single violent incident in the last 55 years. As far as I can see the only issues after the Villa match were an accidental collision with one of their players (who made no complaint) and a broken cross-bar.
I realise the current media mindset is to generate a hysterical response to every incident that happens in football but I remain very relaxed about what was essentially a joyous celebration. I didn't invade the pitch and I don't condone it but I won't lose any sleep over it either. Meanwhile I have nothing but contempt for the football authorities who do nothing when a fanbase riots and forces a match to be abandoned but love to indulge in virtue signalling by punishing other clubs for much less serious offences.

I'm all for it. Right now we're enjoying an unprecedented period of success. But darker days might come, and looking back on these games and the fans on the pitch are all part of the joy for me. It's just a shame a few took it too far as that's what the issue was and it was one of a few other incidents where Vieira and Sharp were both attacked so the media were all over it and looking for a story. Unfortunately we delivered.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Regarding pitch invasions , neither the dippers or the rags seem to go in for it at home after successful seasons. Don't recall rags doing it after any premiere league win ditto the dippers during their period of first division dominance in the eighties. While totally understandable in 2012 as an outpouring of relief and total joy it has been less so since. Was at the Swansea match in 2018 title won before the kick off, huge pitch invasion at the end. Pitch invasions after next two home games, fear this is making us look small time but it seems to be ingrained in our fans culture. Found it much more understandable when we lower league Wigan semi and Birmingham at home also Blackburn and Bradford away were great fun but thought we'd moved on from that.

There was one famous pitch invasion I can recall at the swamp in 1974 and as someone who saw it first-hand I have to confess I found it amusing at the time. I was young and daft in those days though.

 

[BigJoe#1]

Hmmmm I think a minimum of a 10 points deduction for City will be in order, plus United should get some kind of bonus points for the postponed game v Liverpool as it was something that they had no control over, unlike City.

Seems fair enough to me.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

I know a bunch of people won't like this and will start bringing up entirely different things, but the United game is a totally different set of circumstances. Their ground was broken into, and criminal charges were brought. The club would say they were the victims. Controlling your fans isn't "fans" in the abstract, the club can't be prosecuted if I wear a City shirt and go and rob my neighbour. It's policing and stewarding them as paying customers in the ground itself, which the club does have some control over.

Security of the stadium is the club's responsibility as is health and safety within the stadium. Any other club but United would have been hammered by the authorities for what happened.

 

[Big Dave Watson]

Wembley has got a pretty good set-up to stop fans getting on the pitch, to be fair. Those horizontal steel fences/barriers that stretch out about six feet from the seats. You'd have to do some serious clambering to get over these buggers.

……or just pass in between them ;)

 

[Phil1]

……or just pass in between them ;)

You seen the size of some of our fanbase?
If you can fit in that gap I suggest you get a good fucking steak dinner inside you! Haha!

 

[dadnlad]

Getting games postponed is fine though, yeah?

time barred now ;)

 

[jrb]

You’d Think the CPS have better things to do with their time like charging more criminals and winning cases.

I note not a single Police Officer, Politician, Council or Social Worker has been arrested or charged over their failure to make public the Asian grooming gangs, even though they all knew what was going on.

What a croc of shite.

Adrian Hollamby for CPS North west said: "The CPS are committed to taking a robust stance towards tackling football related disorder as we continue to play a crucial role in making sports such as football safe for the players and for the vast majority of supporters who want to attend and enjoy sport in a safe environment.

"The CPS is also currently working with the football clubs, player bodies and organisations, like the Premier League, the English Football League and the Football Association to explain what evidence is required to charge to help clubs and the leagues protect their players by ensuring we have all the evidence we need to build the strongest case possible."

Douglas Mackay, CPS Sports Lead Prosecutor and Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for West Midlands said: "Over recent years and months there has been a significant rise in football-related criminality compared to pre-pandemic levels.

"At the CPS, we play a crucial role in tackling these crimes and making our national sport inclusive, safe to watch and play in.

"There is no place for violent criminal acts in football, and incidents such as these has a significant impact on victims."

Lifelong football fan banned for three years after pitch invasion | ITV News

Potts climbed over barriers and pushed past a line of stewards to make his way onto the field at the Etihad. | ITV News Granada

www.itv.com

 

[Fordyboy46]

Absolutely pathetic this charge, that's the death knell for any sort of passion that can be shown at football matches ever again. Such a shit sanitised product nowadays for the match going supporter

 

[Eccles Blue]

The first incident is hard to see, as somebody just said he may have clipped his ear on the way past but he reacts like he was punched, not seen the shove that then follows but that looks like the fan was protesting the reaction tbh

Still, dumb enough.

The goalkeeper was hit quite a few times. Maybe they were just ‘clips on the ear’ or slaps in the face (which is what it looked like to me) BUT he had come to play in a game of football not to be assaulted.
I can understand the euphoria of our fans but not a pitch invasion when we knew what had happened at other matches earlier in the season.
I was pushed and shoved as people tried to get on to the pitch by climbing over the wall in front of my seat. If it hadn’t been for some of the lovely people near me forming a sort of barrier I could have been really hurt. Ok the people pushing and shoving were not aware that I couldn’t stand and had struggled to get to the match BUT they could see that I was sitting down and still attempted to climb over me.

So I’m afraid I will not be trying to defend them at all.