12 times footballers clashed with fans | OneFootball

The Premier League is, for many, the best league in the world. It certainly is the most-watched football division across the globe. With that being the case, there is immense pressure on players to perform week in and week out.

With demands so high from each club's fanbase, tension can quickly grow on match days when things aren't going to plan. And that angst can, on occasion, lead to clashes between players on the pitch and supporters in the crowd. We saw that recently between Kieran Trippier and a Newcastle United fan when the Magpies lost 2-0 away at Bournemouth. And it got us here at GIVEMESPORT wondering what are some of the worst examples of this happening in English football and beyond.

Kieran Trippier - Bournemouth 2-0 Newcastle United - 2023

We may as well start with the most recent incident as it certainly was a great example of the genre to kick us off. Coming into their Premier League game against Bournemouth, Eddie Howe and his side had just lost 2-0 away against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. They then travelled down to the south coast of England later that week with an injury-hit squad.

Key players like Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak, Dan Burn and Sven Botman were unfit while Bruno Guimaraes (suspension) and Sandro Tonali (ban) were also absent. In the end, a brace from Dominic Solanke sealed a 2-0 win for the Cherries. After the game, right-back Trippier marched over to an angry fan to defend this team's performance, saying: "So the lads aren't giving everything? How many injuries have we got? How many injuries have we got? Hey?" A steward had to intervene before things escalated.

Eric Dier - Tottenham 1-1 Norwich City - 2020

In an FA Cup match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in March 2020, Spurs could only muster a draw against Norwich City in normal time, with Jan Vertonghen and Josip Drmic getting their names on the scoresheet. The home side were then subsequently dumped out of the tournament after losing on penalties.

Directly after the match, remarkable footage circulated online as Eric Dier was seen clambering over seats to confront a fan. The centre-back would later claim it was to protect his brother from an angry supporter but he still received a four-game ban and a £40,000 fine from the FA.

Cesar Azpilicueta - Chelsea 2-4 Arsenal - 2022

Towards the end of the 2021/22 season, things started to wobble for Chelsea and by September of the following campaign manager Thomas Tuchel would be sacked. It seems as though the cracks were already beginning to appear in April 2022 when they played host to London rivals Arsenal.

An Eddie Nketiah double helped inflict a third home defeat in a row for the Blues and the Stamford Bridge crowd were understandably unhappy at full-time. One section of support managed to catch the eye of Cesar Azpilicueta who promptly marched over to remonstrate with his own supporters. On this occasion, the fan in question seemed to back down somewhat having clearly annoyed his own player by demanding more passion.

Granit Xhaka - Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace - 2019

Until Mikel Arteta finally managed to tame him, Granit Xhaka was one of the most volatile players in the Premier League for quite some time. For a number of years at Arsenal he was a truly divisive figure and this was well summed up in a home draw against Crystal Palace in October 2019.

The Gunners were trailing the game and when Unai Emery opted to bring off newly-appointed captain Xhaka, the Swiss international was met with roars of delight from his own fans. Never one to back down, the midfielder cupped his ear sarcastically to the home support, swore at them, and then tore off his shirt and disappeared down the tunnel. It's still remarkable that he managed to salvage his career in north London and depart on good terms last summer.

Patrice Evra - Vitoria Guimaraes 1-0 Marseille - 2017

In a Europa League defeat, former Manchester United defender went full Eric Cantona – more on him later – as he aimed a high kick directly at the head of one of his team's fans. At the time, French newspaper L'Equipe reported that Marseille supporters had been jeering the fullback for about half an hour while the players prepared for the game.

After the French side lost 1-0, some of the players approached the fans to try and calm things down but tensions eventually boiled over. Apparently, Evra – who regularly posts light-hearted videos on social media – was bluntly told: "Keep doing your videos, but stop playing football." No wonder he was annoyed.

Memphis Depay - Lyon 2-2 RB Leipzig 2019

Despite coming from two goals down to draw at home against RB Leipzig and qualify for the Champions League knockout stages, Lyon fans still clashed with their own players back in December 2019. Memphis Depay even scored one of the goals in this game but was at the heart of the confrontation.

He was, however, actually defending teammate Marcelo. Indeed, after an ultra ran onto the pitch with a banner calling the defender a donkey with the message "Marcelo leave the club", Depay ran over to try and snatch the banner away. He was soon flanked by other Lyon players and things fortunately didn't escalate from there in any major way.

Micah Richards - Wycombe 2-2 Aston Villa - 2016

Bubbly TV pundit Micah Richards spent the last years of his career not having the best time at Aston Villa, and this was well summed up in 2016 when the Villans drew 2-2 at Wycombe in an FA Cup tie, extending a winless run to 10.

The club captain tried to calm things down after the travelling away end accused his team of lacking any passion. "You think this is going to make any of this better? It's not," he said. "We're trying. We're trying the best we can." He looked so exasperated it's perhaps no shock that he retired less than three years later still aged 31.

Esteban Alvarado Ajax 1-0 AZ Alkmaar - 2011

A last-16 tie in the Dutch Cup between Ajax and AZ Alkmaar had to be abandoned after just 38 minutes – with Ajax leading 1-0 – after a fan ran towards Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado. The Costa Rican kicked the fan viciously and received a red card.

His manager Gert Jan Verbeek was furious and ordered his team to leave the pitch. It later became clear that Alvarado had been attacked first and so his red card was rescinded by the Dutch Football Association and the game was replayed in full.

Craig Bellamy - Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City - 2009

Manchester City’s 4-3 defeat to rivals Manchester United will go down as one of the craziest-ever Premier League games, and an incident with Craig Bellamy only added to the drama. Shortly after Michael Owen scored the win, a pitch invader raced onto the pitch to celebrate.

He clearly overstepped the line and ended up with a shove in the face from Craig Bellamy as a consequence. The Man Utd fan, Jake Clarke, insisted he “just wanted to celebrate with the players” but he was understandably banned from attending football matches for three years following the incident.

Dida - Celtic 2-1 AC Milan - 2007

One of the greatest European nights in Celtic's modern history was defined by two moments. First, it was the late goal from Scott McDonald to seal a famous 2-1 home win against AC Milan. And then it was the was the events that followed that goal.

A Celtic fan ran onto the pitch at Parkhead and foolishly, albeit, playfully slapped Milan goalkeeper Dida on the shoulder. The Brazilian initially attempted to chase the supporter, then theatrically fell to the ground before he was taken from the field on a stretcher. He was later given a two-match ban for his playacting. Celtic were handed a £25,000 fine from UEFA, and the man who invaded the pitch, Robert McHendry, was banned by the club from attending future Celtic matches. All in all, it was a bit of a mess.

Jamie Carragher - Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool - 2002

Like his fellow TV pundit Richards, Jamie Carragher had a few run-ins with supporters over the course of his playing career. Perhaps the most infamous moment came at Highbury in an FA Cup defeat against Arsenal.

Dennis Bergkamp had been sent off for a bad stamp on Carragher, who then bore the brunt of abuse from some angry home fans. They threw coins onto the pitch and the Liverpool man lost his temper, hurling one back. He was sent off by referee Mike Riley, and later received a £40,000 fine as well as a three-match ban for his poor behaviour.

This is, of course, the most infamous example of when a footballer lost it with the crowd. It may have happened nearly 30 years ago but it still feels surreal to type it out: Eric Cantona kung-fu kicked a Crystal Palace fan during a Manchester United game.

The Frenchman had just been sent off and as he walked off the pitch towards the tunnel, he received some alleged xenophobic and racist abuse. Unsurprisingly, Cantona was enraged and he flew into the crowd in a violent response. He received a hefty fine and a nine-month ban but had no regrets over his action, telling The Guardian: “My best moment? I have a lot of good moments but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan.”