Port Vale fan invades pitch & chases ref after penalty call vs Portsmouth | OneFootball

Port Vale's match against Portsmouth in League One made headlines for the most bizarre of reasons after a fan ran onto the pitch and chased the referee following a late penalty decision. The Vale aren't having a particularly great campaign this season, currently sitting 20th in the league and welcomed Pompey to Vale Park on Saturday, with the visitors sitting top of the table in first place.

Despite their league positions, and Pompey's overwhelming dominance throughout the contest, Andy Crosby's side managed to hold them off throughout the majority of the game and keep things level. That was until the 88th minute anyway when Conor Grant was judged to have fouled Abu Kamara in the penalty box, and Portsmouth were awarded a spot kick by referee Craig Hicks.

It's only natural that fans would be frustrated after watching their team hold on for so long before letting things slip away due to a penalty, but one fan took things way too far and rushed onto the pitch, chasing the referee off of it in shocking scenes.

The fan chased Hicks towards the dugouts

He was quickly apprehended

Shortly before the goal, it appeared that there may have been a foul on a Port Vale man in the build-up, but it wasn't given and that incensed the home side's fans. While the majority were angry in the stands, though, one man decided to run onto the pitch and chase Hicks. It was a shocking reaction and the referee was clearly terrified as he ran away from the supporter.

The chase saw Hicks make his way towards the dugout and off the pitch, but fortunately, the fan was apprehended before he could reach the official. There's simply no room for behaviour like this in football, and the PGMOL and EFL have both spoken out, condemning his actions.

The PGMOL and EFL released a joint statement

They are appalled by the incident

Shortly after the incident, the PGMOL and the EFL decided to release a joint statement, publicly condemning the fan for his actions and revealing they were appalled by what unfolded. They stated their shock and fury that an official was made to feel endangered in the manner in which Hicks was during the game.

They went on to offer him their support and claimed they would be supporting Port Vale as they all worked together to serve the fans with the relevant form of justice. It remains to be seen what the punishment will wind up being, but it feels like a pretty safe bet to assume he'll never be allowed into the ground again.

The relationship between officials and fans has never been great even in the Premier League. They're always drawing the ire of pundits, and sometimes it's for good reason as their mistakes have cost teams vital games in the past, but it's still never acceptable to react in the manner in which the Port Vale fan did and, hopefully, this situation will serve as a message to everyone that it's not the right way to approach things.